Of Fallen Angels and Porcelain Feathers
by IndonesianElephant
Summary: Sora is a thousand year old entity, awakened from his sleep by the evil Organization XIII. When Riku finds Sora, he realizes Sora is special. With the organization hot on his tail, can he stop them and restore peace to Kingdom Hearts, whatever that is?
1. Chapter 1

Okay...Please, don't throw anything at me! XD I have a good reason for not updating. I've been busy with this story, among many others, and some one-shots that I plan on putting out VERY soon. ;3 I'm so sorry to everyone who was waiting on my next chapters, but I really wanted to put this story out, as I feel it's better than my other two. But does anyone have any pairings they wanna see? Because I need some more. Most of what I have is SoraxRoxas, RikuxSora, and...I have a DemyxxAxel, and I may write an AkuRoku if I know someone wants to read it. But dun lemme stop you from reading, and please don't be mad about my other two ficcies, I'll post chappies on them once I feel better about them and start fixing them up. I sucked arse as a writer when I put them out, and am only now noticing those icky mistakes and typos. I have a chapter of Wishing It Was in progress, so that may be out sooner than you think...Enough with my blabber! Go, shoo, read! -Shooes off.-

* * *

Of Fallen Angels and Porcelain Feathers

* * *

Riku sprinted down the dark, slippery street, the sound of his footfalls masked by the heavy pattering of the rain. His light gray sweat jacket—now darkened by the water—clung to his body, even over his black undershirt. He silently cursed, making a mental note to take some cold medicine the second he got in.

It was very dark, barely past ten thirty. Riku would have enjoyed this storm…had he been home. But he had somehow gotten lost, and was _just_ making it home. He was thoroughly soaked as the liquid crystals rained upon him roughly, soaking even through his light tan cargo pants and his black and white skulled vans. His keys, under his shirt hanging from a lanyard, felt like ice cubes pressed against his chest.

Riku paused, holding his breath. Aquamarine eyes looked up from their down casted gaze, peering through dripping silver locks. He heard something. A shuffle in the distance.

Curiously, he squinted into the foggy darkness ahead of him. Then he saw it.

Correction; he felt it.

Riku tumbled back upon being tackled roughly. He felt a warm, undoubtedly wet weight pressing his body against the cold, hard ground and cracked an eye—which had instinctively closed at being hit—open, looking at the 'attacker'.

The person, a boy now that Riku looked, gazed down at him somewhat nervously with azure gems, slightly obscured by cinnamon colored spikes, now limp from the barrage of oncoming raindrops. His dusted pink lips pursed together in thought as he scrutinized Riku. The boy was in fact, very beautiful.

And very naked.

Riku blushed at this newfound discovery, attempting to sit up under the boy's near non-existent weight.

"Who are you?" Riku asked, ignoring the pouring rain flooding his face, orbs fixed on the boy aquamarine. The male in question cocked his head slightly to the left, raising an eyebrow. He put a finger to his chin in thought.

"Who…?" He repeated slowly, as if trying to understand. "Yeah, as in, your name." Riku explained slowly. It appeared as though a light bulb went off in the boy's head and he nodded vigorously. "Sora." He beamed. Riku smirked lightly at his innocence—or was it naivety? They were pretty much hand in hand, either way. "Where did you come from?" He asked. Sora blinked. "Where were you before?" Riku simplified his question. Sora made an, "oh!" sound, pointing to the sky. "…You came from the sky?" He raised an eyebrow. This Sora was certainly…a strange character. It was like talking to a third grader. Sora shook his head, pointing harder. "Space?" Riku asked again. This game of charades seemed hopeless. Sora shook his head, giving an exasperated sigh. "Hey, you and me both." Riku let out a sigh of his own.

Suddenly, the trampling of feet was heard, and Riku could make out the distinct sound of rifles being cocked. "You there! Stop or we'll shoot!" Riku—ignoring the fact that they weren't moving in the first place—blinked, looking over the mop of messy spikes to see a dozen men, clad in black S.W.A.T.-esque uniforms. It wasn't a rifle that had been cocked, yet a very long, expert looking gun. One of the fancy ones Riku would expect to see in those military movies as something the government keeps secret.

"Hand over the boy." One of the people extended an arm, walking toward the pair slowly. Sora, who had yet to move, had now taken to burrowing himself in Riku's arms; or attempting such. Riku held Sora close to him protectively; he didn't know the group of guys, but they seemed to be bad news. Having been the first person to find Sora, he felt it was his responsibility to protect the boy. So, having found this reasoning within himself, he picked himself and Sora off of the ground, making to give Sora to the man, much to Sora's displeasure. The man seemed delighted, and in a sickeningly sweet voice he said, "I knew you would see what was right." _Yeah, right._Riku glared. Sora whined, clinging tighter to Riku.

At the last second, Riku yanked back, opting to run down the street quickly, Sora bouncing wildly in his arms.

"Stop right there!" The man called, and Riku suddenly heard a gunshot. His heart pounding wildly, he turned the corner, frantically looking for his house. The men, strangely, weren't chasing them. Many, many streets later, Riku found his house, unlocking the door quietly. It was a good thing it was so late, otherwise, people would have questioned the naked, dozing brunette in his arms. He entered his house, closing the door behind him. The beeping of the alarm recognizing the door had woken Sora up, and he rubbed his eyes sleepily with one hand, the other on Riku's shoulder. Riku smiled lightly at him; he was so adorable. Sora peeked over Riku's shoulder with curious azure eyes. "This is my house. You're lucky my parents are out of town for the next two weeks. Otherwise, we'd be in some trouble." Riku smiled. Sora giggled, smiling back. Riku wasn't sure if Sora knew what Riku was talking about.

Suddenly, Sora began to squirm in Riku's arms, and Riku let the boy down. Sora sat on the floor, blinking cluelessly. He looked down at himself, then at Riku. He tugged on Riku's pant leg. "You do need clothes, don't you?" Riku chuckled. "Okay, come with me." Riku extended his hand, and Sora took it with a smile. He pulled the smaller boy to his feet, and they went up the stairs, Riku leading the way to his room.

"This is my room. Feel free to look around." Riku let Sora explore the crevices of his room. Riku, meanwhile, tried to think of who those strange men were, at the same time looking for clothing for Sora. _Who were those guys? They wanted Sora…but for what? And what did Sora mean when he said he came from the sky…? Is he from space or something? No, I tried that and he said no. He may be like a ditsy third grader, but he would know where he came from… _Riku was interrupted from his thinking by a tug on his shirt. He turned to look at the person responsible. Sora stared up at him cutely, holding a teddy bear in front of his face. He paused, as if thinking of what to say. "Ah…uh…" He kept making small noises, as if it would aid him in his thinking. Riku raised an eyebrow, but before he could question, Sora spoke.

"Name…?" Sora asked, as if he wasn't sure he had used the right word. Riku chuckled. Sore had yet to know his name, he realized. "My name is Riku." He said it slowly so that Sora could pick up on it. "R-Riku…" Sora repeated. He smiled. "Riku-u-u." He extended the 'u' in Riku's name, and Riku never thought his name could sound so adorable.

"Ah, here're some clothes you can wear." Riku removed a long sleeved button-up dress shirt, and a pair of black shorts. "These were supposed to go to charity, but I doubt they'd want my school uniform and a pair of work-out shorts." Riku chuckled. He handed the clothes to Sora, who took to looking at them curiously. "Oh, and these." Riku handed Sora a pair of boxers, yellow smiley faces covering the white fabric. "Oooh!" Sora grinned, sticking his arms through the leg holes of the boxers. Riku sighed exasperatedly, but couldn't keep a smile from his face. "Here, let me show you."

* * *

After about an hour, Sora was properly dressed. Riku, out of consideration for the boy's privacy, had not looked directly at Sora as he dressed. Sora now sat in front of Riku, looking at him curiously. The white shirt was extremely large on Sora, haniging off of one shoulder, and coming down almost to his knees. The shorts underneath were barely visable, because the shirt covered them. Riku looked back just as curiously at Sora. Sora, most likely finding this to be boring, had went on a search of sorts, peeking in Riku's things.

"Ooh." He made a noise of fascination, pulling out a long, white ribbon from one of the many small boxes on Riku's shelf, fingering the blue-tinted fabric. He padded back up to Riku, holding the ribbon in his face. He smiled brightly, and flicked the ribbon, taking pleasure in it's fluid movement. "This is a ribbon." Riku explained. He took it from Sora, smiling. "Here, turn around." Sora, with the help of Riku's hands on his shoulders, did such, allowing Riku to tie the ribbon around his neck in a bow. Sora 'oohed' once more, fingering it. He smiled; it was like teaching a little kid. Only the little kid was a boy who seemed about Riku's age, and looked more ravishing than a kid would. Riku thought now would be a good time to educate Sora on manners. "Okay," He began, catching Sora's attention. "When someone gives you something, you say thank you." He explained. Sora looked confused for a moment, but caught on and smiled. "T-thank you, Riku." He grinned brightly, and Riku had to stop himself from hugging the boy. "You're welcome." He replied, smiling himself. Whenever Sora smiled, he couldn't help but smile also.

The rain had ceased slightly outside, and all that could be heard was the light pattering as it fell gently from the sky. Riku yawned and Sora mimicked him, quite adorably in Riku's opinion. Sora giggled. "I'm sure you want to go to sleep, huh?" Riku questioned. Sora nodded vigorously. "Well, you can take the bed. I'll take the floor." Riku showed Sora to the bed, who curled up in the covers happily. He made a sound between a murr and a purr, and Riku smiled lightly as Sora fought to keep his eyelids open. Riku went to his closet, fishing around before pulling out a moogle-themed blanket. He spread it out on the floor, grabbing a moogle pillow and laying down. He was about to turn off the light, but realized Sora's confused—almost disappointed—expression. Riku cocked an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" He asked, sitting up fully to prop himself up on his elbows so he was facing Sora. Sora made a face, as if he didn't know what to say, and patted the space beside him in bed. "Riku." He whined, pointing to the space he had just been patting. "What?" Riku was confused now. What could Sora possibly want him to do? Then he realized it. "You want me to…lay with you?" He asked. Sora nodded excitedly. Riku chuckled. "If you insist." Who was Riku to say no to the adorable boy begging for his company?

So Riku climbed into the bed facing Sora, who made a happy squeak of a sound. Sora threw his arms around Riku's waist, burying his nose into Riku's chest. He made a content sigh, and Riku chuckled. He petted Sora's hair, listening to the faint snores of the other boy. Riku smiled as he thought back on today.

_Maybe this won't be so bad after all… Yeah, I can make this work._

_

* * *

_

Well, there it is...I feel as though I may have gone too fast with timing, but... yeah.

I hope you all enjoyed it. I could use a confidence boost, so constructive critisism, reviews, or just telling me to update(Though I'd prefer a bit more...-Sweatdrop.-) will suffice. Thanks so much, and I'm sorry about my other two stories! Really really so--

Sora: -Conks her over the head.-

Riku: Sora has a point, everyone knows you're sorry.

I guess you're right...-wallows in self pitty.-

Sora: -Cute grin.-


	2. Chapter 2

Haha! It took me long enough, right? I would have had this out so much faster, but a while back, when I was DONE with this chapter, all the data was erased off my disk, causing me to have to start over. I gotz a flashdrive now! ;3

Hehe...excuse the messyness of this chapter, but I really wanted to get this out! Now, for review replies (I can't remember if I e-mail replied back or not.):

Becca86: Hehe! Why he can understand english is explained in this chapter. Where he comes from is explained, too! ;3 Thank you for your review! The first one, too! -**_Gives her a cookie.-_**

Ichiemay: Thanks so much; you really think it's cute? Aww! I hope this one's cute for you, too! **_-Cookie.-_**

tuse: Aww! Thanks! I tried, really. **_-cookie.-_**

WaffleFrog: Ohmygosh! That's the first time anyone's told me my writing was clear! Thanks so much! **_-Cookie.- _**You really think it's clear? ;3 Thanks!

This is like...an early birthday present to myself, my birthday's on the 25th of this month! ;3

So, here it is, and I'm trying to draw art for this story, so bare with me! ;3

Sorry for the wait,

-Hearts to all reviewers/readers.-

Oh! Almost forgot:

**_Italics most likely mean someone is speaking in angel speak (explained in the story). Kthnx. ;D_**

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Sora sat on the bed, leaning against the bed post with his elbow on his knees, which were drawn to his chest. His chin rested in his hand. The warmth that Riku had given off was comforting, but he couldn't go back to sleep for anything.

Why? Well...

A pair of thick, white feathery wings twitched, as if sensing Sora's trail of thought. The appendages were long; even folded they were peeking over his head. It made leaning back as he was a difficult task. They brushed the bare skin of his back, causing him to twitch. He managed to somehow remove the shirt (Maybe that was giving him too much credit; after all, the shirt tore a good deal due to the sudden growth of his wings.), which made him feel much more comfortable. His wings had grown back, just as he expected.

A while before Sora had found Riku--or was it the other way around?--Sora had shed his wings. Every two months or so, he shed the feathery extensions. This was so that as he grew, the wings matched him proportionately, and he could get the most of the abilities they offered. Besides, no one kept the same _anything_ for so long. It wasn't just a process where the wings fell off; oh no, each feather shed one by one, just as older eyelashes fell off to make room for newer ones. What was so beautiful about it was that as soon as they detached, they became porcelain. He knew many an angel that saved the feathers, in hopes of wooing a potential love interest. Sora himself didn't care much for wooing other people.

Riku stirred silently, and Sora smiled lightly, brushing stray locks of silver from the other's face, his touch as soft as the brushing of his feathers against his own back (That was actually starting to itch a little.). Riku was certainly different than the stories Sora had heard about humans when he was at home. He heard that they--well, most of them; he rarely heard a story of a few that were different--were downright vain creatures, not caring for anyone but themselves. Sora hadn't quite believed all of it to be true, after all, why would they be watching over vain and vile creatures? But Riku, he was so kind to Sora, and already he'd given Sora something. Sora fingered the creamy blue ribbon on his neck.

Once more, while he was waiting for the slowly approaching sunlight, his thoughts drifted. He thought of old friends--he missed them so much, when was the last time he'd seen _anyone_ he knew since those people took him away?--and he thought of Roxas. He thought of Roxas, and who Roxas was guarding. Guardian Angels _guarded_, it was their job after all. Last time they spoke--again, so long ago, Sora thought with a frown--Roxas talked about a man named...Axel, was it? Sora remembered what the blonde had told him, with his blue eyes half-lidded dreamily, and a light blush to his cheeks.

_"He's got red hair. I mean red, red hair. And he's got the most piercing green eyes I've ever seen; like cat's eyes almost... He really is dreamy. I hope you can meet him some day, Sora."_ Sora chuckled to himself. Maybe he _would_ meet this Axel character.

That is...if he could ever figure out how the heck things worked down on Earth. Everything was so...strange! Things made sounds, the doors had funny contraptions on them--they looked like they were supposed to keep something out, but Sora didn't know--and worse, he didn't know half of what humans said to him. _Honestly,_ Sora thought with a pout. _I don't see how in Heaven's name they can work with this chaos..._ He sighed. The little bit he understood was from Roxas, when the other boy taught him English. It was supposed to be a requirement for all angels to learn human speak and ways before guarding whomever they were chosen to; much less even setting foot on Earth. Sora himself had been forcibly taken from his home, among few others that managed to escape shortly after. Escaping wouldn't have made a difference anyway, as he went into hibernation right after he was captured. He'd only woken up a while ago (Roxas called seven days a 'week' in human language, so he was awake for about a week?), and only because the organization that held him captive had forced him awake. He had a strange feeling he wasn't supposed to be awake.

Finally, the sun had begun to peek through the darkness of the night...

...Just as Riku's scream cut through the silence of the room.

Sora looked at the once peacefully sleeping silverette, rubbing his ear lightly. Riku was _loud_.

"Who--what--how?! What the hell are you?!" Riku was backed against his wall, clutching at his heart and taking heaving breaths. Sora remembered that humans weren't used to seeing mystical beings like angels. He remembered hearing how closed-minded humans were, and hoped that Riku wasn't as closed minded as they made humans out to be. Sora locked eyes with Riku, pleading silently. He didn't want to lose his first--probably only--friend here. Riku gasped lightly, opening his mouth to speak. "Sora--"

A loud knock interrupted him. It seemed to be coming from downstairs.

"Riku! Get your lazy ass up, you have to help me walk the dogs!" Sora knew that voice. He knew it from any other voice in the whole world. He jumped up, throwing the door open (On the fourth try.), and rushing downstairs without tripping on his feet _too_ much. He stumbled down the stairs, fiddled with the doorknob, and threw that door open, too. There was a beep (Honestly, what the heck _was_ that thing?!), but he didn't pay it any mind as he threw himself into the arms of the person in the doorway.

"Roxas!" He cried happily, nuzzling his face into his friend's chest.

!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!Roxas!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Okay, _now_ Roxas was confused. He went to Riku's house, expecting to find his friend already dressed and waiting for him, but instead, he got two armfuls of cuddly, squishy...partially naked brunette. What was more confusing was that this boy seemed to know his name. "Riku?! When did you become a brunette?! And when did you get a tan?! And when the hell did you get clingy?!" He demanded, fearful. He'd never seen anything like this, ever, and that was saying something. The boy seemed unfazed, and continued to snuggle him. Then it clicked.

"Sora...? How on earth did you get here? They said you were captured! ...How are you awake?!" Roxas fired off questions left and right, but noticed that it did little good, seeing as how Sora couldn't understand him. Sora and he were such good friends; brothers, even. He hadn't changed a bit. Roxas missed him so much, he swore he'd find the people responsible for Sora's disappearance, and take care of them personally. Roxas noticed Sora's wings, and frowned.

"I don't know _how_ he got here, but both of you have some explaining to do." Roxas looked up, seeing Riku with his arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently.

!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!Still Roxas!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Riku had escorted Roxas into the kitchen, and the both currently sat with coffee mugs in hand. Sora sat on the floor, still shirtless, drawing abstract patterns in the floor. He was cradling a stuffed bear to his chest with the unoccupied hand, and Roxas highly doubted the organization that took him would give him something so...cute. Riku turned to look at him. "I want answers. What is he, where is he from, and how do you know him?" Riku asked. Roxas sipped from his mug. "You saw the wings, what do _you_ think he is?"Roxas had a slight smirk on his face. Riku was freaking out over virtually nothing, in Roxas' opinion. "Dammit, Roxas! I don't know, that's why I asked _you_!" He shouted. Sora looked shocked, and gave a small whimper. He looked scared. "Riku, sit down, and calm down." Roxas replied, calmly. _One_ of them had to be calm. "Calm down? How the _hell_ do I calm down?!" Riku was standing now, his hands on the table, glaring at Roxas. _Dammit, he's gonna upset Sora._ Roxas thought, frowning.

And upset Sora, he did. Sora sniffled and began crying. Roxas shot a glare at Riku and walked over to Sora, hugging him as much as the awkward angle would allow. Sora sniffled once more, saying something in a foreign language. Their native language. Roxas smiled, replying in the same language. Sora nodded, smiling. Roxas took this time to look back up at Riku. "Stop making such a big fuss. Sora thrives off of emotions. If you get upset, he's gonna feel it and go crazy. So sit down, and calm down." Riku obeyed. Roxas had patience for Riku, he was taking it better than Roxas expected. Roxas remembered the time he told Axel he was an angel... The other male had merely smiled and replied, "I always knew you were a goody-two-shoes, but this is ridiculous." Roxas smiled at the memory.

"--Lo? Hellooo? Earth to Roxas?" Roxas was pulled from his daydreaming by an anxious looking Riku. "Are you gonna tell me anything?" He pouted. Roxas chuckled and sat back in his seat. "Well, as you know, Sora's not human. Neither am I. You already know what he is, right?" Riku nodded. "He looks like an angel..." He blushed as Roxas raised an eyebrow at his sentence. "No! I mean his wings..." He corrected himself. Roxas wasn't fooled. He settled for nodding. "Before I tell my side, how did _you_ meet Sora?" Roxas asked. Riku took a deep breath, and began to tell his story. "Well, I got lost, because remember how we had to stay late for band? Well, it started raining when I was on my way home. And I got lost, I think. Anyway, out of nowhere, Sora tackles me, and he's _naked_," Riku blushed at this, and Roxas chuckled. "Go on." He prodded. "Well...I tried asking his name...he gave me a look, like he didn't understand. Then I asked again, and he said Sora. I asked where he'd come from. He looked confused, then after I rephrased it, he pointed upwards, towards the sky. I asked if he was from space, and he shook his head no. I asked if he was from the sky, and he said no, and pointed harder. I had no clue what he was talking about.

Out of nowhere...these guys in black suits--like the S.W.A.T. team--come up and threaten to shoot me if I don't hand Sora over." Riku stopped for a second, looking over to the male in question. So I faked giving him up, then took him and ran off. They didn't follow me... Just in case, I ran around to lose them. Then I found my way home." Roxas knew Riku was leaving something out. "And this morning?" He asked. Riku coughed. "This morning...I woke up, and Sora had _wings_." Roxas chuckled lightly at the way Riku said it; as if he were still trying to believe it. Riku then looked at Roxas expectantly. "There's only so much I can tell you at the moment..." He began. "Why?" Riku asked. "Because if you learn too much, you'll get the wrong idea." Roxas said. Riku nodded. "Well...Sora and I; as you may already know, are guardian angels. Axel is the human I guard." A dreamy smile slipped onto Roxas' face. Riku 'ahemed'. "Oh, right!"

"Anyway, we're both--as strange as this might sound--from heaven." Riku raised an eyebrow. "Let me finish." Roxas said in reply to the look. "Well, back in heaven, there's a group of renegade angels. They cause pure chaos. It started with small stuff; terrorizing citizens, stealing from stores and shoplifting, violating minor rules... But now they're going to an extreme, and the whole place is thrown off balance. They're even kidnapping and killing." Roxas shook his head. "Why?" Riku asked, scooting to the edge of his seat. "Like humans have power plants, we have a source of energy, too. We have something called Kingdom Hearts. All energy, both good and bad, is kept in perfect balance there, and distributed in a way we can use it. It also contains life and death. The renegades--they call themselves Organization XII because there are thirteen of them in total--want this power so that they can control heaven. "They'd been refusing to guard humans...they hate humans, and part of their plan is to rule over the humans with Kingdom Hearts' power, too. So God--" Riku snorted and Roxas glared. "Knocked them down in rank, so they're technically fallens. Now, along with controlling heaven and earth, they want revenge on God." Roxas finished.

"Where does Sora tie in?" Riku asked. "Well, they needed some sort of weapon, right?" Riku raised an eyebrow. "Tell me; does Sora look like anything else besides an angel to you?" Roxas asked, his voice hinting. Riku took a long, hard look at Sora, who was playing with the bear, and his eyes softened. "No...why?" Roxas shook his head. "That's all I can tell you for now. Just know that Sora's your responsibility now, and you have to take care of him. He'll be starting school with you." Roxas said suddenly. "What?! But--but--!" Roxas held a hand up to shush Riku's half-blabber. "He may be naïve and a bit...in the dark on human ways, but he's a quick learner and will know most English by Tuesday, which is when he'll start." At least, Roxas _hoped_ Sora would know English by then. "For now, it's Saturday. Spend some time with him; I'll walk the dogs myself." Roxas added, voice taking on a softer tone. He and Riku walked dogs for the local shelter every Saturday. This sparked an idea in Roxas' head. "Take him to the shelter!" Roxas exclaimed, startling Sora. He sent an apologetic look, "_Sorry, Sora._" He grinned sheepishly. Sora smiled. "_It's okay, I just felt you get really happy for a second. What are you and Riku talking about?_" Riku must have heard his name, because he cocked his head and looked back and forth between Sora and Roxas for any giveaway on what they were saying. "_I had to tell him our situation at the moment. You'll be in his care now, is that okay with you?_"

"_Oh, that's just fine! Riku's very nice...but I do hope I didn't startle him with my wings...I had nearly forgotten about them. Think you could teach me that concealing spell?_" Sora asked, smiling. Roxas chuckled. "_Of course._" Roxas stood and stretched. "Well, I'm off... I'll see you guys later." He paused. "If you _do_ take Sora to the shelter, make sure I'm there. Those guys may still be looking for you."

!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!Riku!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Roxas left, leaving Sora and Riku alone again. "Well...do you want to watch a movie or something? You may pick up on English faster." Riku suggested. "Yes!" Sora chirped. Riku raised an eyebrow. Had he taught Sora to say yes last night, or was that something he'd just picked up? Riku shook his head, then got up. "Well, follow me." Sora grinned, standing up--teddy bear still in his arms--and scampering after Riku. They went into the t.v. room, and Riku opened a cabinet on the t.v. stand to look for a movie. "Hm...lots of dialogue...let's watch...this." He pulled out a random dvd movie, and recognized it as a cheesy romance. He took it out of the case, popped it in, and turned the t.v. on. He sat on the red, leather couch, patting the space beside him for Sora. Sora plopped on the couch, looking at the t.v. in interest.

!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!Still Riku!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!

Sora had fallen asleep ten minutes into the movie, Riku grinning and using the remote to turn the movie off. He examined the sleeping Sora's features, brushing brunette locks from the closed eyes. Sora's skin was soft beneath Riku's fingertips; he wondered how ones skin could be so soft. Sora had long, curly, dark eyelashes, similar to a female. He let his finger trail over Sora's soft, pale-pink pursed lips before withdrawing his hand with a blush as an overwhelming urge to kiss the other boy came over him. He'd never felt so attracted to a person...it scared him a little. Sora did look every bit of the angel Roxas said he was. He watched silently as Sora sighed softly in his sleep, his wings twitching lightly. His wings truely were beautiful, even if they did scare Riku the first time he saw them. He gently ran his finger over one of the feathers, and Sora gave a soft moan, turning over a bit. Riku blushed once more, pulling his hand back and ordering it to stay.

The story Roxas told him was a bit...strange, but as he watched the angel sleeping on his couch, he didn't doubt it at all. Riku thought back to Roxas' words with a frown.

_"Tell me; does Sora look like anything else besides an angel to you?"_

But...Sora couldn't be a weapon...

_Could he...?_

* * *

Whew! Longness...well, to me, anyway. I think it's longer than chapter one. The Org. makes an appearance, chapter three! Watch for it! ;3 -Hugs and kisses.-

Quickie note:

Reference to God is not meant to say, "OMG GOD EXISTS, BELIEVE FOO!". No, I use god because everyone already knows about him, and there needs to be someone to govern over the angels...I think. That's not to say I don't believe in god, but I'm not forcing my religion or anything onto anyone. So if my reference to him upsets you, please tell me what I can do to change it. Just thought I should say that. (But yes, I do believe in God. Ironic, since I write yaoi, but... ;D)

P.S.: PLEASE DON'T WRITE ME SAYING "BEIN GAI IZ A SIN DOOD." I get that enough from my 'friends' at school. _I _don't think it is, but whatever. Straying off. XD

Reviews make my world go round? XD

I LOVE YOU GUYS! ;3


	3. Chapter 3

Omg, I'm so sorry to everyone I had waiting for this chapter! Things were going crazy over here, and with this plot...I had gotten a ton of new ideas, so...I had to revise everything. Luckily, the first two chapters can stay as they are. So things aren't going to be super clear...I apologize, but someone will shed light on them later in the story. v.v; And I accidentally lied; organization encounter _next_ chapter. ;x

And also, another reason this took so long is that...

Your friendly neighborhood elephant has been trying really hard to make this into an actual fancomic (Doujinshi, if you wanna get technical.). ;3 Sooo, it's HARD. XD The chapters should start going at a smooth rate now. lol. Annnnnnnnnnd thank you so much to all who reviewed, please don't get discouraged by the crappiness of this chappie. I have a present for AkuRoku fans near the end? XD Those desperate resort to bribery, eh? Anyway, thank you all for reviewing, I love you guys. Please don't shoot me for this ugly chapter. I'm also sorry I couldn't personally reply to all of the reviews. D;

...So I totally just realized in the summary of this story, it says evil organization XII, instead of XIII. XDD Nice one, Lizzie. Nice one. -Smacks self.- Anyway... I present to you, Ladies and Gents, a craptastic chapter of:

**Of Fallen Angels and Porcelain Feathers**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

**.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!Riku!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.**

Riku had dozed off a bit watching Sora sleep peacefully. But now the boy was wide-awake, hopping about and exploring every crack and crevice just as he did in Riku's room. Riku watched him with an almost envious look. He wished he could be that innocent again.

"Riku…?" Riku felt poking on his arm, and looked over. He wasn't sure when Sora had gotten within such close proximity of him, but he didn't really mind. He was too busy staring into the azure pools that scanned him with what seemed to be worry, almost. Sora still cradled that bear still, he treated it like his own child and never let it out of his sight. Riku thought it was cute, like a mother hen and its chick.

But to more important things; like how Sora's eyes bore into his own intensely. Riku could've sworn Sora's eyes were looking straight into his soul—maybe that was one of an angel's powers? He allowed himself to dwell on that thought—in a matter of hours the responsibility of a boy; an _angel_ was placed in his hands. _Angel, huh? He's innocent enough… I just can't get over his wings; they're so…pure and white. _Riku thought, looking at the appendages in question. They were folded to Sora's back at the moment, but they twitched as if feeling Riku's gaze on them. Riku remembered how it felt when his finger stroked the delicate appendage...and Sora's more than interesting reaction. What on _earth_ had possessed him to do such a thing? He fought a blush, still staring at the wings. Sora must have seen him looking because he craned his neck to see what Riku thought was so interesting behind him.

Riku chuckled, ruffling Sora's hair. Sora grinned and it was so adorable that Riku nearly squealed, but it died in his throat and came out like a throaty squeaky, grunt. Sora raised an eyebrow at this noise, then giggled. Riku had never had so many consecutive urges to squeal, if any at all.

"Say…how's about going to the animal shelter?" Riku suggested. Sora cocked his head. "A-aminal…sh…" He got lost half way through the word, wrinkling his nose in concentration. "Sh…" Sora pouted, then huffed. Riku smiled. "Shelter. It's a place where animals who don't have homes, or lost their homes, wait for people to give them a home and a family." He explained, a bit slowly so Sora could understand him better. Sora tilted his head a bit. "Home? Family…?" Sora got a faraway, troubled look on his face and Riku felt sorry for him; the boy probably hadn't seen his family in a while, if he _had_ any. Riku even sometimes missed his parents when they were on vacation, he didn't know if he could do without them altogether.

Wanting to escape the gloomy atmosphere, Riku stood and stretched. Sora mimicked his movements, grinning. Sora always seemed so happy, Riku wondered if half of the time he really was… "Well, let's find you some clothes." He started up the stairs, but turned back to the brunette who looked at him cluelessly while still holding the bear. "Coming?" Riku grinned. Sora grinned back and followed him happily.

**.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!Still Riku!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.**

They got back to Riku's room, and Sora immediately ran to the bed. Riku leaned on the doorframe, confused as to what Sora was doing. Sora smiled, saying something to the bear—he assumed it was the angel speak Roxas told him about a little earlier—and Sora nuzzled its cheek with his own. He rocked the stuffed bear gently in his arms, humming a soft, unnoticeable lullaby. Well, it wasn't completely unnoticeable… Where had Riku heard the song before?

Sora giggled, kissing its nose and setting it with its head propped up on a pillow. Riku watched the display silently, hand over his lips. He resisted the urge to squeal, settling for smiling softly. Sora's gentle actions reminded him of when he himself was a kid and his mother took care of him…he really missed that (And apparently, so did his mother when she told him how she missed being able to pick Riku up and rock him back and forth. You couldn't pay her to do so now.). Sora was gonna make some woman (or man, who knows) happy some day… Riku, for reasons unbeknownst to even him, saddened at that thought.

Sora was so adorable, Riku still couldn't see the boy as anything but an angel. Sora pulled the covers over the bear, then bent down to give it another kiss.

Riku really, _really_ wanted to be that bear.

"Riku!" Sora ran over and took Riku's hand—how could someone's hands be so _soft_?—and led him to the bear. He then looked up at Riku expectantly with those shining azure orbs. "What?" Riku asked lightly, raising an eyebrow. Sora seemed to think about his words for a while. When Riku was about to start naming different things to help the boy out, he looked up with a big grin. "Father!" He pointed at Riku, grinning proudly. Riku blinked once. Twice. Three times. One more, just in case.

"Pardon me?" It came out as a squeak. Sora found this amusing, giggling wildly. Riku nearly pouted, but he found it funny, a little… He guessed. He resisted the urge to chuckle. Sora looked back up at him, then smiled. "You want me to be it's father?" Riku asked, smiling very lightly (His jaw was hurting from smiling so much earlier.). He felt a slight blush creep across his cheeks. Riku was…flattered. Riku was very flattered. He'd never been asked to be anything's dad (And maybe that was a good thing…)so this was all a little new to him. Sora nodded vigorously, and this time Riku couldn't keep from chuckling. "Okay, I'll be its dad." He petted Sora's spiky cinnamon locks—_So sooooffftt…._—and the boy gave a pleased sound.

Sora seemed to be thinking again; probably of what he was going to ask next. He couldn't seem to find the name for it, though. Riku knew this because Sora tapped his forehead repeatedly, as if it would knock whatever he wanted to say to the front of his brain. Then he squealed triumphantly, as if a light bulb went off in his head. "Kiss!" He pointed to the bear. "You want me to give it a kiss?" Riku asked, amusement on his face. He didn't think he'd be doing that after he turned four—about the time he stopped playing House with Kairi. But Sora nodded rapidly, grinning.

"Alright, Sora." Riku chuckled, but leaned down and kissed the bear's nose. He realized that it was the same place Sora had kissed, and his lips tingled slightly when he raised back up. He felt so much like an actual dad with a newborn child, it wasn't even funny. Only Sora could make him do something like that… The boy in question smiled, laying his hand gently on Riku's arm. Riku looked at him, taking in the piercing blue eyes examining him. Sora was so beautiful, Riku didn't think it was even possible to look so angelic. Even for an angel.

The two of them looked at each other for what felt like hours—days even, to Riku. There was that look again in Sora's eyes. As if he were trying to peer into Riku's soul. What was he doing…? Suddenly, a warmth spread throughout Riku. It felt so comfortable, like someone was embracing him gently, but firmly. But there was no one touching him…only Sora's eyes, gazing into his, unblinking. Riku didn't know what it was, but it felt so good…

_Hello, Riku._

Riku gasped, then blinked. It was as if he'd broken a trance or a spell, and the warmth disappeared (much to Riku's displeasure). Sora blinked rapidly, then looked up at Riku with a grin. Riku was confused now. That voice…it was Sora's, he was certain. But the smaller boy hadn't moved his lips once during that…whatever it was.

This was getting strange.

He would have to ask Roxas about this later. "Clothes!" Sora exclaimed, running over to the dressed. Riku began to smile; Sora must have remembered the word from last night. Riku smiled fully now, following the mysterious boy to the dresser (Sora was a _very_ fast learner…). No, Sora was an angel.

"Yeah, let's get you some clothes."

**.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!Roxas!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.**

"Roxy, what's wrong? You have something on your mind. Don't try to say you don't." Roxas looked up from pouring dog kibble to the red-headed beauty currently arranging collars and leashes. "Oh, you noticed…"

"Yeah, so tell me." Electric green eyes shimmered playfully. Roxas sighed. "I'm just a little tired, that's all…" At his answer, Axel put down the leash he had been holding, and walked over to Roxas. He grabbed the seemingly younger male from behind in a tight embrace, burying his face in the dark blonde locks. Roxas' head tilted to the left just slightly, and he sighed gently. "I'll ask again. This time, the truth please." Roxas could hear the smile—or was that a _smirk_?—in Axel's voice. He hoped the taller of the two wouldn't keep this up; the last thing he wanted was to get in trouble for doing it in front of the animals. Doggy style, no less (Because Axel was kinky enough to demand such. And Roxas, by that time, would want it enough to comply).

"What's wrong with my Roxy?" Roxas tried to ignore the hot air that caressed his ear in favor of thinking of an answer. When he couldn't find a nice-sounding one, he settled for the truth. "The organization." He sighed, leaning back into Axel. The more Roxas fought it, the hornier he got and the more he needed it. But he wasn't horny (not much.)at the moment; he just needed to feel Axel's warmth, and that loving embrace and hear that mischievous voice. Axel frowned at Roxas' answer, angry and upset (Roxas felt his emotions very easily, no matter how hard the other tried to hide them). "The organization? Again? What happened this time," Axel's grip tightened on Roxas just slightly. Roxas knew Axel was still angry and upset about even being affiliated with the 'bastards' as he frequently called them. He was glad he'd fallen in love with Roxas before he'd done anything else with them; he'd told Roxas on many occasions how he was grateful for the blonde "rescuing" him.

**.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!Axel!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.**

"They…they woke up Sora." Roxas looked down. "Sora? You mean, your brother?" Axel asked, shocked. Sora and Roxas weren't really brothers, but Roxas called Sora his brother because they were so close. So Axel called them brothers, too. He remembered, when he was with the organization (Even though he really didn't want to remember those things…), that they'd talked about awakening a…key. Sora was his name. But they said that they wouldn't touch him for a long, long while because if they woke him too early…he could destroy the whole world. Too late, and he could have died. Axel didn't take it too seriously, but now…

Now he was pissed. "I can't believe this. They're all idiots." Axel wanted to lash out, but he remembered Roxas'—and all angels'—sensitivity to emotions. Even though the blonde claimed not to be bothered as much as others, Axel still didn't want to do anything to make his love uncomfortable.

"They _are_ idiots. Sora was awakened, but he escaped. Riku found him, so I've assigned Riku the duty of taking care of Sora…and vice versa." Roxas said in his usual quiet tone. Axel smirked. "You didn't tell him much about the whole angel deal, did you?" At this, Roxas shook his head. "He wouldn't have taken it like you did…especially with how Sora is. It would have been too much for him." Roxas sighed. Axel understood this, and left it at that.

He dwelled a bit on how he got from the organization to with Roxas. Axel was different—really different—from most humans. He could control fire. He'd been called many different things because of his ability—pyromaniac, arsonist, weirdo, freak…(he favored the first two very much.). The organization saw this, and decided he would be of great aid to them. They promised him many things, all of them fake. Promised him love, power, wealth. And all if he simply helped them take down a place that had wronged them for the same reason people on earth had wronged him—because they were different. So Axel agreed. He never did anything too wrong; dispatched a few heartless here and there, went on patrol a few times, helped with battle strategies. He thought it was all for good, until Roxas showed up. He was undercover, as Axel later found out, as an Organization XII member. Axel knew the second he laid eyes on Roxas, that he was in love.

So Axel and Roxas got close. And closer. And closer. And closer still. And then one day, Roxas told him everything; the truth. What the organization was doing, and what Roxas himself was doing. And Axel wanted to help. So when Roxas got all the information he needed, he left. But not before declaring his love for Axel, and Axel doing the same and promising to get out also. If they left at the same time, suspicions would rise. So Axel waited a while (spending his time falsely grieving.), and then he left, too. Axel went back to earth (With Roxas' help), and Roxas pulled some strings to become Axel's angel. Even though, in Axel's eyes, he would have been Axel's angel anyway. He'd been with Roxas ever since, helping all that he could. Axel felt as though he owed his life to Roxas.

"Axel?" Roxas looked up to see Axel. The red head had been uncharacteristically quiet. "Hmm?" Axel replied, snapped from his memories. "I told Riku he could bring Sora down here, is that okay?" He asked softly. Axel smiled, kissing his lover on the forehead lightly. "That's fine with me. I get to meet the infamous key that everyone's been talking about." Axel joked. Roxas chuckled—he'd told Axel once that aside from Sora and Riku, he was the only one that could make him laugh—kissing as high up on Axel as he could reach in his position. His kiss landed on Axel's neck, causing him to laugh. "If you wanted a kiss, all you had to do was ask." And Axel was serious when he said that; he loved nothing more than smothering his Roxy in kisses and cuddles. "Then, do you mind?" Roxas asked with a smile. Axel smirked. "Not in the slightest." And with that, Axel leaned forward to kiss Roxas' lips.

Axel swore he would never get tired of kissing Roxas—the blonde was so addicting. He heard Roxas sigh contentedly into the kiss, his hands going up to tangle themselves in his fiery mane. Axel loved it when Roxas did that. Roxas stood on the tips of his toes, trying to press their mouths together harder. Axel let out a ghost of a moan, pulling Roxas closer to him.

This was _much_ better than organizing leashes.

* * *

Okay, AkuRoku make-out and fluff to apologize? I wanted to write more--MUCH more on those two makin' out, but...yeah. XD Distracts from the story. So, what was that thing with Riku and Sora earlier, you may ask. That'll be explained. And what of the song Sora was humming? Any guesses?! If you played KH (which one it's from is a secret), then you should know this song!

Soo, if you're wondering why Axel's reminisce on his organization days isn't detailed, it's because I'm putting the actual flashback up another time, and don't wanna put it now. Also, Axel's take may not be correct...it _is_ only in his p.o.v., after all. ;3 Sooo, here is the end of the third chapter (excuse the crappiness of this one, please?). Fourth is comming your way! Certain orgie member appears! ;3 who can guess? Wish me luck on the art deal. XD Axel's hair is hard! D; lol.


	4. Chapter 4

Oh my gawd, look who decided to show her face in the e-world! How long's it been? Forever, I'm sure. I had computer difficulties, then a rough patch in my life, and then I just couldn't write _anything_. I felt so horrible though, looking back on all of the reviews and favorites I got! So I decided I'd revive this story, since I was getting good feedback on it. I'm sorry to the people that wanted updates faster, and I'll try to do that. Like, really really try. Thank you so much for all of the reviews; they really boosted my self-esteem (and I needed it).

Now, I'm not too happy with this chapter, because it just feels...off. Maybe it's just me? I'm half-done the fifth chapter, so hopefully that comes out soon. Thank yous to Ichiemay, sain-kookie, drarythoughts, Tinker16, Whitefleur, F.E. Light, Koneko Hoshi, skyinthenightslove, XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX, and kez-chan. I love you guys, and everyone else that read up thus far. I'll answer two questions I got, since it's only 1:29 in the morning and I have no life (It's been so long, do you guys even remember your reviews? XD)

drarythoughts: Thank you for pointing that error out! ;3 Oh, you'll find out how they knew later in the story! I can tell you now, though; they did and did not know when to wake Sora up. A certain possessive someone (Who will be revealed in this chapter) is quite obsessed with Sora... They're a sneaky bunch, that organization. XD Thanks for the review.

kez-chan: Lol! Yes, you may hug Sora. I think he would like that (That is, until Riku claims him all possessive-like. Then Sora'd be suffocating under the heavy atmosphere.). I'm so happy that you like my concept. ;3

Because I feel like I should explain, the reason behind Sora's childishness with Riku and his more mature actions with Roxas is kind of a "the less he knows, the better" case for Riku. Sora's acting like he knows practically nothing (Which, in terms of earth languages and the ways of humans, is actually true.) because it'll stop Riku from questioning him, and thus learning too fast and getting the wrong ideas. And I'm not sure if I went over this, but the reason Sora understands some English, but can't speak it is kind of like when you hear a word, know what it means, and can say it in your mind, but can't say it aloud. His mouth isn't used to forming the words and speaking with the dialect, so it's kind of hard for him. The unusual attachment to bear is also explained (But it goes deeper than that, actually.). But enough of my babble.

Well, onward readers! Ignore my spazz-tastic writing style in this.

_**Of Fallen Angels And Porcelain Feathers**_

_**Chapter Four (!!!!)**_

**!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!Sora!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

Sora blinked as items of clothing were laid before him. There was a pair of those…whatever they were; they had two tubes, made of some tough blue cloth, attached to some thing that went around ones waist. Then there was a shirt; he noticed that (He remembered from last night.). It wasn't the monstrosity he had worn last night. This one was of a softer fabric, and more stretchy. But he wondered how he was supposed to get his wings in there. Then there were those things you put on under the…blue tube leg cover things—which Sora thought completely defeated the purpose of putting them on in the first place if you were just going to cover them up—and _then_ there was a bigger version of the shirt, with longer sleeves and a thicker fabric.

Why weren't things as easy down here as they were up there? Last he was up _there_, people could wear white togas and be happy. But oh no, not here. "Need help?" Riku smiled. Ah, yes. In the midst of his mind-rant, he'd forgotten almost about the silver haired boy (and Sora, in terms of age, could call Riku 'boy'. He had Riku beat by some hundred years.).

And what had happened earlier…Sora nearly grimaced thinking about the earlier events. He and Riku had just stood looking at one another, unblinking. And suddenly, Sora felt this connection to Riku. He noticed it immediately—a type of telepathic connection angels had with the human they were guarding. But Sora didn't recall anyone telling him he was Riku's guardian angel… Still. Sora tested the link (he wanted to be sure if it was the one he thought it was) and he supposed this scared Riku because he felt the slight fear, and the seemingly older male had blinked and thus broken the connection. Sora decided to play this off as he had been doing with everything as of late—the less confused Riku became the better, but Sora knew deep down that the damage was done. And Sora also knew he felt the pleasure Riku was giving off from their connection. Still, Sora wasn't sure if he could ever do that again. At least, not for a long while. He didn't want to risk hurting Riku. It actually took a lot of energy from the both of them if Sora did that too often.

Thinking about Riku brought up thoughts about that bear…he really loved that bear. He felt motherly instincts come over him whenever he was holding it. He didn't know why. Even when he wasn't holding it, he realized, when he felt a warmth in him as he looked at the 'slumbering' bear. It was probably his instincts as an angel, which explained why angel parents were so good with their and other people's children. And Riku…Riku had even given it a kiss, and helped him tuck it in. Riku was something else, that was for sure. Not only did his personality betray all that Sora had learned about humans, his appearance was not disappointing (In fact, in angel folklore, most humans were ugly creatures, but could change their appearances to look beautiful and lure others into their evil clutches. Again, why would they be guarding something like that?). He couldn't get over those silvery locks and those bright aqua eyes. Riku had soft, pale skin—Sora remembered the feel from when he had let his fingers ghost over it lightly the night before.

But this was strange. Sora had never had feelings like this before, ever, about anyone. He wasn't completely clueless, though—he recalled stories his others told him and stories he overheard about the feelings he'd been having, the words 'lust' and 'love' being said many times, but he had never experienced it. It _almost_ scared him, but curiosity and fascination overcame fear.

"Sora?" Riku's worried voice broke his thoughts. Sora smiled up at him. "Do you need help?" He asked again. Sora, ignoring a strange part of him that wanted to say yes just to feel Riku touch him, shook his head no. How hard could this be?

A few minutes later found Sora on the floor, the shirt half over his head, the weird bottoms—_jeans_, Riku had called them—tangled about his legs and feet, and somehow, the neck of the longer-sleeved shirt—Riku called that a sweatshirt (Sora knew why, it made him feel hot.)—was at his waist. And to top it all off, the 'boxers' as Riku explained, were on his head. Riku was in a corner of the room, and Sora swore he heard cackling and sobbing at the same time. He pouted, sitting down harshly on the floor. This was too hard! A while later Riku stumbled over, giggling madly and wiping at his eyes. "Okay, Sora. I'll help you." Even through his giggles, he smiled softly.

Sora winced as Riku tried to pull the shirt over his head. "Sorry." The taller of the two smiled apologetically. When he pulled them off, the boxers slipped off also. Then Riku moved down to his legs, slowly untangling the jeans. Sora held in a gasp as he felt Riku's hands graze his skin lightly, face heating up. He looked up and saw Riku was in no better shape, his face as red as a cherry. Sora didn't understand…was this supposed to feel this good? Why did he want…_more_? Why did he want to feel Riku touch him more than this? And why did his body feel so hot?

"Okay, I think we've got you untangled. Ready to try this again?" Sora was snapped from his near frantic thinking by Riku's voice. He smiled, pushing the thoughts from his head. He'd think about that later. But for now, he had to try to figure this out.

**!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**_**??????**_**!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

"Zexy…" Zexion looked to the timid voice. "Yes?" He asked gently. It was so unlike him, but in the presence of the blonde male beside him, he couldn't bring himself to speak any other way.

Demyx shifted his gaze nervously from the floor to his lover's eyes. It didn't matter to him what anyone else said about him and his emotional capabilities; he _loved_ Zexion, and that was all that mattered.

"Zexy, when can we…" He trailed off. He couldn't speak of such things out in the open. Sure the hallway was empty, but their leader had ways. Zexion sighed. "Demyx…"

"I want to help them! I don't…I don't want to keep doing this, Zexy…" Demyx looked down. Even with the thick black coat, he felt…cold. He hugged himself, trying to warm his arms. He had no need though, when Zexion's arms wrapped around him and a strong chest pressed into his back. Blue hair fell over his shoulder, and he leaned back into Zexion.

"Demyx, you know we can't yet…" Zexion tried to coax Demyx out of his current way of thinking. The blonde was so heartbreakingly adorable in his kind-hearted ways. Zexion hated that he had to deny the blonde this one thing. For now, at least.

His attempt at reasoning, like the others, was in vain. "We were friends, Zexy…best friends. All three of us. When they told us what we'd been doing…what we're _still_ doing… I don't want to do this anymore. I'd…I'd rather be a fallen my whole life! It can't be worse than this…" Demyx sniffled, sighing when Zexion wiped the tears from his face. He looked up at Zexion, eyes pleading. "Please…I can't wait anymore." Zexion sighed, averting his eyes from Demyx's. But it was too late, and he had already been hit with a pleading look that had his resolve crumbling faster than a milk-dampened cookie.

"…We have to be discreet about it, then."

**!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.Riku!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

Riku laughed as Sora spun around, giggling childishly. His eyes seemed to grow as wide as saucers, trying to take in everything at once—and they were only on an empty street. Sora constantly pointed to things, asking Riku what they were. Rather, he pointed to them and looked at Riku expectantly. House, car, and tree were among his favorites so far.

"That's a flower." Riku smiled, as Sora ran over to examine someone's yard. The red plant swayed slowly in the light breeze that passed. "A flower?" He repeated, still looking excited and curious. Riku chuckled and nodded. "It's pretty, isn't it?" At this, Sora nodded vigorously. "Pretty!" He repeated happily, pulling Riku along by the arm.

Suddenly, in the midst of his happy skipping, Sora stopped. He began to back up slowly until he was almost hiding behind Riku. His grip on Riku's sleeve tightened. "What's wrong, Sora?" Riku asked worriedly; Sora was acting strange… Sora's eyes, shining with fear, looked straight ahead, and Riku felt the smaller boy's body tremble. Riku looked up too, only to see a tall, hooded figure. All that was visible was the person's mouth, which was drawn into a smirk. Riku raised an eyebrow; why was this guy scaring Sora so much? And why was the guy _smirking_ at them?

"_Roxas was nosey, he got what he deserved._" At this, Riku glared. "Who are you? And what did you do to Roxas?!" He moved Sora further back behind him. The person chuckled. "Who I am is of no importance." The smirk turned into a mere line, like one's lips would be if they had an expression of indifference. "Just know that Roxas got what he deserved, and so will you if you don't give Sora to us. We do need our…_key_ very badly." The figure crossed his arms. Now Riku was confused. Roxas called Sora a weapon…yet this person called him a key... Then it hit him.

"You're from that organization, aren't you?!" He glared harder. The man laughed. "You catch on quickly…maybe you'll be of use later. _If_ you're compliant. Now hand it over." He held his hand out. Riku's rage swelled, and he made to push a fear frozen Sora over, only to spit at the man's feet. "Go _fuck_ yourself." He hissed. The man drew his hand back, shaking his head in mock sorrow. "Pity…I was hoping I could avoid killing you, but…" The guy held his hand out and suddenly, a swarm of white creatures rose from the ground. Riku gasped, backing up. What had he gotten himself into this time?

"The nobodies need a workout…" The man chuckled. "Bastard—" Riku was cut off by one of the creatures pouncing at him, clawed hand drawn back. Riku immediately grabbed Sora in an attempt to protect the boy. But instead, Sora pushed Riku away and rushed at the creature with…

A key?

Not just any key, Riku noticed. The key was huge, and Sora held it just like a sword. Sora slashed at the creature skillfully, twisting and twirling the mysterious weapon. His eyes were narrowed into mere slits, lips parted to show his clenched teeth. Riku never would have guessed that Sora wielded a weapon so well… The creature—a nobody, he assumed—faded into nothing after a final slash, and Sora landed in a semi-crouch, looking…deadly. Riku himself nearly felt scared, and Sora wasn't even looking at him. His glare was directed to the man, who merely smirked in satisfaction. "Yes, embrace your anger…feel it. _Become_ it. Submit to the darkness…"

A swirling portal of darkness opened up behind the man, and he stepped back into it. Sora growled—it sent shivers down Riku's spine at how…scary it sounded—and lunged after the man. But as soon as he got to it, it closed up in front of him. Sora cut into the air where the portal once was, collapsing just as the key he was holding seemed to burst into dozens of tiny, bright lights.

"Sora!" Riku ran over to the brunette, kneeling down at his side. Sora's eyes flittered open and he looked up at Riku with a smile. "Riku!" Then he paused. "Is…Riku alright?" He seemed as if he wasn't sure if he phrased his question correctly. Was this really the same Sora? The Sora that had oh-so-skillfully fought with that…key-like blade, and killed one of those creatures?

Riku smiled lightly nonetheless, nodding. He was still too shocked to correct Sora's questioning. "I'm…fine. Are you okay?" Sora nodded also. Then he gasped. "Roxas!" He exclaimed, hopping up. The man's words came back to Riku suddenly, causing him to gasp and begin to run. Sora followed Riku as they ran, Riku praying silently the whole way to the shelter.

**!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!Sora!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

Sora ran into the shelter, only panting lightly. Riku, on the other hand, was very much out of breath. He looked around, hearing the excited barks and whimpers of the canines in the building. Riku ran over and went through one of the doors, and Sora followed curiously. He blinked at the sight he saw.

A man with bright red hair had Roxas pushed against a wall, his arms wrapped around Roxas and his face buried in his neck. He must have been doing something very good, because Roxas was letting out small noises and sounds that made Sora wonder just _what_ in the hell they were doing. Apparently, Roxas _was_ getting what he deserved, and he was loving every second of it. Sora just watched with curious eyes, glancing over to Riku. The silverette had his arms crossed, shaking his head disapprovingly. He muttered something suspiciously close to "Doin' it on the job, too…"

Roxas' eyes opened momentarily, seeing Sora and Riku. His brain obviously failed to register that they were actually there, because they slipped back closed. They quickly snapped open again though, and Roxas shoved the guy—he assumed that was the Axel that Roxas had once told him about—away from him. "S-Sora!" Roxas covered his neck with a hand. Sora was curious as to what they had been doing—he was no fool, so he had a guess—but he was too happy at the fact that Roxas was unharmed to care. He pounced on the blonde, sending them both to the floor.

"_You're alright!_" He hugged Roxas closer. "_Of course I am. What happened?_" Roxas asked, frowning. Sora looked nervous, and looked over at Riku expectantly. "Riku, what happened?" Roxas tried again. "We were on our way here…and we were attacked." He explained.

**!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!Roxas!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

Roxas was confused. "Attacked? By who?" At this, Riku shook his head. "I think it was a _what_. This cloaked guy—I think he was part ofthat organization. He…I don't even know what he did. He called these things up! I've never seen anything like them…and they attacked us, but—" Riku cut himself off. "But…?" Roxas urged. "_But I stopped them._" Sora finished. At this, Roxas blinked. "_How_?" He was hoping Sora didn't mean…

"_I used the only weapon I had at the time._" Sora replied simply. "_Sora! You know you can't just use the keyblade like that! Every time you use it, you're closer to becoming—_"

"_I don't care. Riku was in trouble._" Sora cut Roxas off. Roxas was speechless at that. He sighed, putting a hand to his head. Of course, Sora didn't care what happened to him so long as everyone else was safe—Riku especially now. As worried for Sora and as frustrated as he was, he knew he would have said the same.

"Uh. Do you think we could get the shorter, translated version of all of that?" Axel asked, arms crossed. Roxas looked up, he had almost forgotten about the two of them. "And an introduction would be nice." He added.

Somewhere in the shelter, a dog whimpered loudly.

**!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!Riku!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

"Wait, wait. So, that was a…nobody?" Riku raised an eyebrow. "Yep. And the members of the organization can all control them." Roxas said, wiggling from atop the box he was sitting on. It wasn't safe yet to leave the shelter, so they went to the only safe place to talk—the basement. "Okay…but how did they find Sora and I? We were a good way away from the—Sora, don't do that!" Riku's eyes had shifted to Sora halfway through his question, only to find the brunette poking at a medium sized black spider. Sora poked it once more before pouting and crossing his arms, leaning against another box. It was obvious the childlike boy was bored. Roxas was stifling a laugh.

Axel nudged Sora, who blinked. "Wanna touch 'em?" He pointed to his wildly spiky hair. Sora nodded profusely, poking at the spikes with fascination. "Continue." Axel grinned. Riku shook his head with a chuckle, looking back at Roxas. "But, yeah. We weren't near the house, so how did they find us?" Riku finished. Roxas paused. "See, there're lots of ways they coulda known. They might have tracked Sora by his energy, maybe they put a tracer on him…but maybe…" Roxas trailed off, seeming to go into his own thoughts. "Maybe…?" Riku prodded.

"Oh, it's nothing. But you two should be fine for now, if you just stay here." Roxas turned to Sora and began to speak in that language. Sora nodded in reply.

"So they said they did something to me?" He asked Riku, voice curious. Riku nodded, frowning. "Yeah…he said you got what you deserved. You were nosey." Riku wrinkled his nose, blinking at the worried look Roxas and Axel exchanged. "I see. Riku…they won't do anything to Sora; he's far too valuable to damage. What they did earlier…that was a test. To see how much you meant to Sora. Now they know, they should leave you alone. Take Sora and hurry home. Don't open the doors, keep the windows closed. Axel and I will be there as soon as we can." Riku felt like a little kid being told what to do by his mother, but nodded nonetheless. Sora's safety was more important. Roxas smiled thankfully, and turned to Sora. "Sorry, but you can't see the dogs today." Sora pouted.

"Well, what are you guys waiting for? Hurry along, children." Axel snickered.

----------------

"Home sweet home!" Riku sighed, falling back onto the mattress. He and Sora had all but sprinted back home, the brunette somehow managing to beat him here and not even have broken a sweat. The very light panting Sora was doing was the only indication to Riku that the seemingly younger boy wasn't on steroids.

Even then, he had his doubts.

"Riku." Riku jumped, still getting used to Sora saying his name. He looked to the boy on the floor, that teddy bear in one hand and a movie case in the other. He held the case out to Riku. "Huh? Do you want to watch it?" Riku questioned, cocking his head. Sora nodded vigorously. "Yes! Watch!" Riku couldn't help but laugh. Sora was eager to learn; he probably wanted to be able to talk more with everyone. Riku looked at Sora for a long moment, then blinked.

_His ribbon...it must've fallen off._

Sora didn't seem to notice that the ribbon was missing from his neck, and Riku wasn't about to point it out. He didn't want the boy to get upset. He'd just get another later, and say that he found it.

"Okay, then. We'll watch it." He fought a sigh as he sat up, feeling his back cracking. That couldn't be good… Sora shot him a worried look at the noise. Riku waved a hand to dismiss his worries. "I'm fine, don't worry about it." Sora didn't look like he believed him. Riku shrugged it off, making his way down the stairs. Sora followed like an obedient puppy, plopping onto the couch with his legs folded under him. The bear was against his chest, and Riku was surprised that Sora hadn't named the stuffed animal yet. Maybe Riku would help him with that later.

"I guess angels don't get leg cramps!" Riku chuckled, but Sora only tilted his head in confusion. Riku chuckled sheepishly; he kind of forgot the fact that Sora didn't quite understand him yet. He busied himself with turning the movie on, and debated on getting popcorn. He decided against it though; a hyperactive angel, a bear, and a bowl of popcorn didn't seem like a good match. His parents were only out of town; if they came home to questionable stains on the floors, then he'd best kiss any chance of him staying home alone good-bye (Sora was pushing it as it was, and blaming it on the bear wouldn't bode well he was sure.).

The movie on, Riku took his spot beside Sora (this was all seeming a little familiar) and couldn't fight the bubbly feeling in his chest he got as he watched the brunette cradle the bear as he gazed thoughtfully at the television. He was like a little sponge. A little information-soaking sponge. Riku only felt all the more responsible for Sora learning the right things.

**!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!_??????_!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

"You're back from your mission."

"Hn."

Xemnas only smirked, leaning forward on his white desk. One hand supported his head lazily, the other was outstretched. A red heart, swirling with shadowy black tendrils, hovered slowly in his palm. He only gazed at it with yellow eyes, lips still set in his smirk.

"Did you have fun?"

"..."

Xemnas wasn't fazed in the slightest by the silence comming from his...what would his underlings be considered as? Puppets? Dolls? Either way, they got the job done and were far more sufficient than legions of Dusk that couldn't tell left from right even if they looked at a compass. Alas, there were downfalls to their mental capabilities. Being able to think dependantly was quite bothersome. Roxas was proof of that. But that was long over, and as sad as it was to lose such a strong member, it only slightly hindered their plans.

"I found something you might want."

A blue ribbon was thrown onto Xemnas' desk. He raised an eyebrow, looking at the ribbon curiously. The heart in his hand dissipated and he picked up the ribbon with his now free hand, examining it. "And this is...?" He questioned, failing to see just what was so special. The second occupant of the room only 'Tsk'ed.

"It's the gift wrapping for your little present. Your newest toy's packaging. I thought you'd want it." And the cloaked figure slipped out, a portal of darkness engulfing him and leaving only an empty room.

Xemnas' lips tugged up in a dark smile, and he lifted the ribbon to his nose.

"Oh, my little key... You smell so sweetly innocent. I can't wait to take it all away."

**!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!Riku!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!**

After a while, Sora was so into the movie (could he understand it at all?), that he leaned forward, hand on the remote. "Audio: French" flashed quickly across the screen in green letters but Riku took no notice, too busy with his own thoughts and looking at Sora's intent features.

Riku had so many questions still, and he wasn't sure if Roxas would answer them. Riku figured he'd do the 'It's not time yet.' crap, so that would be kind of useless. He was so lost…not to mention he was still a bit caught up on earlier that afternoon and, as much as he hated to admit, maybe even a bit _scared_ of Sora, but…

It wasn't until he heard a loud, "Bonjour, Madame!" that he sat up with a start.

This movie didn't have a lick of French in it. Unless…

"No…no, it can't be…" Riku grabbed the remote, which was beside Sora's hand, and clicked the info button on it. Dread filled him when he saw that the language had indeed been set to French.

_"Sora's a really fast learner." _Roxas's words came back to him, and he shuddered a bit. Maybe...maybe the boy hadn't been listening, and he was just...watching the screen?

He turned slowly to Sora, gulping. He uttered a silent prayer before, "Sora…?"

"Oui?"

…_Oh, shit._

* * *

Well, there it is. Unbelievable, some of you are probably thinking. This is actually a completely different ending than what I originally planned...v.v; As I said, this chapter makes me mad. D; i don't know why. I snuck some Sora and the bear in for everyone (since some people really seemed to like it...), and it was really a last minute addition. XD Maybe it'll make up for eveything (maybe...?). I spent so long re-re-rereading this chapter, out of nervousness. It was supposed to be out on the second, but...v.v;

Thank you for reading! ;3


	5. Chapter 5

**Gah, I meant to have this chapter out alot sooner than I did, but my net got disconnected. It got turned on last night finally. ;D In lieu of Obama's inaguration my mother's birthday (!!!!!) on the 21st, I originally meant to put it out that day. Happy birthday, mom!**

**Got kinda lazy in the final part, but I hope you can't tell... And before I forget, REVIEW REPLIES!**

**kez-chan-Lololol. Riku secretly likes being hugged, don't let the glare of death fool you. *riku death glares.* Neh, the big teddy bear. Sora's just being a jealous poo. *Shot.* I was kinda wary about the last chapter probably 'cause I hadn't submitted on it in so long... months, was it? I'm glad you liked it and thought it was long. ;3**

**XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX- Lol, thank you for the review. Action's not much in this chapter, and seeing as how the chapters like to change completely if I plan beforehand, I can't give you an exact on when action'll come up (probably next chapter.). **

**sain-kookie- thank you for the review! Yay, I get love! ;33 I'll do my best on this story, thanks!**

**Chibi Darren- Thank you, thank you. Honestly, I can't wait to see what comes next either (that's horrible since I'm the author...). Thank you, and I'll do my best on updating. ;D**

**BluFox15- Hey, chick! Saw you on the Youth Inauguration! Lol, go you! ;33 Gee, I dunno where the French comes from. ;D You say it so harshly; just for that I'll do sporadic updating where you'll be forced to read and never get to spend time with your 'boyfriend'. I write for chuu. -Luff.-**

**music-is-luv- Thank you for the review! I think we can all agree that Riku is thoroughly pissed off. Glad I'm not the only one that takes extreme pleasure in it. ;D Thank you for the review~!**

**Ying Fa Xang- Thank you! I can see him speaking french, too. ;D Thank you again!**

**I never thought I'd have to reply to so many reviews! ;D thank you all! But also, I just want to ask that people drop me a line instead of just favoriting or alerting. It'll help me better myself as a writer if I get some constructive critisism or a pat on the back or something. Thank you all for reading, though it's a little short. ;D**

* * *

Over the phone, Roxas snorted.

"_Roxas! I'm serious!" _Riku whined, and Roxas could just _hear_ the pout. "Calm down, Riku." Roxas managed to fight back some of his giggling. "It's like before; Sora's a fast learner. You'll just have to teach him English while he knows French. Now he'll know English _and_ French." Roxas yawned, leaning back on his bed.

When would Axel be getting home again…?

"_Roxas, you don't seem too surprised, nor do you seem worried in the slightest."_ Roxas could have sworn he'd heard an, _"Il fait bon!"_ in the background, but he ignored it. "Because I'm not. Riku, you're worrying too much. It's—" Roxas nearly dropped the phone. His eyes had wandered to a corner of his room, where a black cloaked figure stood silently.

"…I'll call you back." He hung up the phone, abruptly cutting off any reply Riku may have had.

"Okay, what do you want?" Roxas asked, glaring at the figure. It only stood there, but now its head lowered. "Roxas…" The voice sighed. Roxas remembered that voice. He knew…where had he heard it? Whose voice was it? The figure reached for its hood, startling Roxas into a fighting position, until the hood was yanked back.

"Demyx?!" Roxas gasped.

"Roxas…it's been a long time." And indeed, the familiar blonde was there, smiling and standing awkwardly in the corner of his room. "What…?" So many emotions filled him; happiness, regret, sorrow…the feeling of betrayal. "What are you doing here?" Roxas forced himself to keep his voice even, though all he wanted to do was go and hug his other best friend.

"Roxas, we want out. Me and Zexion both. We…we spent so long planning to come here, planning to escape…please don't turn your back on us now. We don't know what to do…but we don't want to do _their_ work anymore." Roxas was in shock, watching Demyx explain his ordeal with expressive, teary eyes. "Demyx…" Roxas paused. What could he say to that? How could he deny his best friend that request?

But how could he accept?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Axel yawned, leaning back in the ratty black office chair he sat in. They'd just had an adoption day at the shelter, so naturally there were tons of papers and files to sort through.

And lucky Axel got chosen for the job of sorting.

"Aw, Fluffy got adopted? I liked Fluffy, I knew I shoulda got him for Roxas…" Axel frowned, reading the adoption papers of a small white dog. Yes, he knew that dog; a cute little mutt that always enjoyed nipping at his and Roxas' fingers. He'd definitely have to go pay a visit…

"I always knew you were a dog person."

Axel froze. That voice…he knew that voice. But it just couldn't be…

"Zexion?"

A hooded figure emerged from the shadows, standing before the redhead's desk.

"Axel, you didn't forget." Axel made to get up and greet one of the people that he hadn't seen in god knows how long…but then he remembered. "Zexion…what are you doing here?" He asked, letting his anger seep through his voice. "Axel, I know what you're thinking. But you need to let me explain. Demyx is probably talking to Roxas now and—"

"Demyx?!" Axel was confused now. "Yes, Demyx. He—…we both are tired of doing whatever it is that we're to be doing for the organization. As he says…we want out. But we need your help. We can't do it alone."

"You do know what you're asking from us, right?" Axel sighed. To do something like this…with an organization like them, it was going to be hard. If he agreed, and couldn't keep his word…

"Yes, but we trust you two." Axel was surprised, to say the least. Zexion, when Axel had last seen him, was quiet and not known to say more than a sentence at a time. Heck, Axel didn't even know he could _trust_ anyone (but of course, Demyx was a different story.). But here he was now, asking for Axel's help. When he put it like that, it was hard to say no…

But it was going to be even harder to say yes.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Riku sat, head in his hands, palms digging into his closed eyes. It was painful. At least, it looked painful to Sora (It didn't feel to good when he tried it earlier to see just what Riku found so appealing about doing it.). The brunette was sensing a lot of mixed feelings from the silverette; dispair, hopelessness, and…well, if he had to be honest…Riku was just plain angry (or what the humans would call 'pissed'.). But why? Curious, Sora sought to find this answer himself.

"Ca va?"

Riku only wailed loudly, and…was that _sobbing_ Sora heard? Other than those rather frightening sounds, Riku stayed silent. Sora pouted; it was rude to ignore someone when they asked you a question! And it was an innocent one too, he had no clue what was wrong with it. Maybe he phrased it incorrectly? Still pouting, Sora tugged on Riku's sleeve.

"Not now, Sora…"

"_Riku_…" Sora tried. He wasn't exactly sure how to inform the male of his rudeness and Sora's own confusion correctly. So he settled for huffing.

"Sora…do you remember _any_ of the English I taught you?" Riku asked. Sora nodded vigorously, all previous poutiness completely forgotten. He was happier at the fact that Riku finally stopped looking like he was trying to dig his own eyes out. "Oui, oui!" He grinned.

Riku's head fell to the table.

Sora was confused…wasn't that how humans said 'yes'? He didn't quite know what he was agreeing to, but…

"Not oui, Sora. Yes."

"Oui?"

"Yes!"

"Oui!"

"No, _yes!_"

"Non oui?"

"NO, IT'S— Just…nevermind." Again, Riku's head hit the table. That couldn't be good… Sora stood from his current position (beside Riku's chair, on the kitchen floor), and shoved a familiar stuffed animal into Riku's face.

Riku looked up, smiling slightly before he paused. "Sora, can you say 'bear'?"

"Bee-aaree?" Sora's face contorted somewhat as he tried to form the words. Riku snapped his fingers, seemingly in realization. "So you can learn words that you didn't learn in the movie easier than those you did. Makes sense… And apparently, you still understand me." Sora cocked his head questioningly. "Or do you? Sora, do you understand anything I'm saying?"

Again, Sora cocked his head. He half contemplated on saying 'oui', but he really didn't want a repeat of before…

"Let me put it like this… What's my name, Sora?"

Now _that_ was easy. "Riku!" Sora exclaimed proudly. "Okay, so you know some English still…this shouldn't be too hard if we get to work now." Sora cocked his head at Riku's words, not fully understanding what he had said. Oh, well…he guessed he'd find out in a few minutes.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"I don't see why we don't just go get him ourselves. The boy's weak enough, and if we threaten the key with him, then…"

"Don't be foolish." Xemnas sat at the head of a long white table, fingering the smooth blue ribbon. "If we try anything, we'll trigger _it_ too early. No, the key's will is far too strong. We'll simply break him. Crush his spirit until he's nothing but a doll." Xemnas' hand tightened around the ribbon, a smirk on his lips.

"That way, when the time comes there will be no hesitation. Until then," He tossed a hand to the two hooded figures beside him. "You two will trail after them, but keep your distance. His powers are dormant, and he is unaware of how to use them all. However, he can still feel you if you're too close." The two figures looked at one another, then nodded. "And you." Xemnas turned his head to his right, staring up lazily at the figure standing beside him.

"You stay behind, I have a mission for you too. The rest of you all are dismissed."

Everyone stood, and made their way out. "Man, why does Saïx get all the good missions?" Someone muttered. Xemnas only smirked.

"Yes, why _do_ I get all the 'good missions'?" Saïx asked, once the room was clear. He flicked strands of icy blue over his shoulder. Xemnas' smirk stayed in place as his eyes mapped out the other's face, tracing the scar with his eyes. Oh, he'd let something _else_ trail that scar... But then he remembered the question asked, and his eyes glimmered.

"I think you and I both know the answer to that." Xemnas stood, making his way slowly to Saïx. The man only stared at him calculatingly with yellow eyes. They both knew what was coming and while the silver haired man wasn't one to beat around the bush normally, he had to admit that he didn't mind this form of 'foreplay' at all. "I think you may have to refresh my memory…" Saïx's voice was little more than a whisper due to their close vicinity.

"With pleasure." Xemnas said, and pulled the other man to him for a kiss.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"So he fell for it." Demyx breathed, pulling his hood back. Zexion shushed him, looking around. He motioned to his own room, and Demyx nodded before following him inside.

"Remember what I said, Demyx. We have to be _discreet_." Zexion sighed, once his back had hit the now closed and locked door. "No talking about this to _anyone_, for _anything_, _anywhere_. At _all_." Demyx nodded like a scolded puppy, frowning. But then he smiled.

"We…we'll finally be free again, right?" At this, Zexion's stern look faded into a gentler one, and he sat down beside Demyx on his bed. "Yeah…we'll be free." He said. Demyx sighed happily, leaning over so his head rested on his lover's shoulders.

"How did you get Axel to help us? Roxas…he has a soft spot for me, so I managed to get him to agree…but Axel is…" Zexion smirked as Demyx looked at him curiously. "He's not all that bad. And I have my ways." But he turned serious again. "I'm not sure how we're supposed to make this work, though."

"It's simple! Xemnas has already dispatched us to earth, right? And we have to keep watch over the key. We've got a free ticket in, so we'll just go to them and—"

"No! We can't just…_go up_ to him. And say what? 'Hey there, we're part of an organization bent on the destruction of the human race. You might remember when we kidnapped you. We're not bad, though. Wanna help us?'" Zexion glared blankly at the blonde, who only shrugged. "If you think that'll work, but I was aiming for something more discreet…" Zexion rolled his eyes. "Forget it. What plan do _you_ have, my genius?" Demyx took this as a compliment and beamed brightly. "We'll go in disguise. They only know us by the cloaks. So we'll go without them. And…well, Roxas and Axel probably have something figured out from there."

Zexion had to admit, that was pretty smart. "But what about…" He looked behind himself, gesturing to his back. While there was nothing there now, once he stepped foot out of the castle and got rid of the cloak, the concealing magic placed on his wings (as was placed on everyone else's wings) would be dispelled. And he'd be screwed; the magic was placed there to keep them all from getting 'discouraged' at the fact that they were technically halfsies. "Oh, that's right…hey! Roxas is a guardian! Of course _he_ knows magic like that." Demyx nodded to himself. "So it's settled?"

"Almost." Zexion replied, and Demyx frowned in annoyance. "Almost? What more do we need to plan?" Zexion sighed then, "We need one more thing…"

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Riku sat, flashcards on his left and a tape recorder on his right. His head was in his hands, and buried in his knees.

This was seeming so hopelessly…_hopeless_. It was sad, really, seeing as how he'd spent so long coaching with english flash cards and little voice recordings from an audio soap opera he'd found in the coat closet (which was really only a storage for things that no one needed yet couldn't throw out.).

"Riku?" Sora asked, and Riku felt a poke on his side. "Ca--…are…" Riku gasped, his head snapping up. "Wait, what were you about to say?" The silverette asked slowly, hope sparking in him. Maybe, just maybe…

"Are…yoou…ah…" Sora's cheeks puffed out in thought. "Yeah?" Riku prodded, almost squealing with glee. "Are yoou al…riight?" Sora's brows wrinkled as he forced the words out, biting his lip when he was done. Riku could only grin at him. "Yes! I'm perfect now!" The green eyed boy threw his hands up in happiness.

Ever since earlier, after the…confusing language swap, Riku had been trying to re-teach Sora English, and for the longest time he thought it was all in vain. Until now. He was so happy, he thought he felt himself crying. Part of him scolded himself for being so childishly gleeful about the whole situation, but the less caring part simply replied with a 'Fuck off' and the mental finger.

Sora only cocked his head in confusion.

"Great…now the rest of the English should be no problem." Or at least, Riku _hoped_ it would be no problem. "Okay, then we should work on—"

There was a knock at the front door.

Both Riku and Sora's eyes flew to the stairs leading to the main hallway. Riku heard Sora gulp audibly, and he pulled the boy closer to him. Sora's hands grabbed his shirt.

His cell phone rang.

Riku ripped the phone from his pocket, silencing the chimes. "Who is it?" He asked in his best impression of a casual whisper.

"_Riku? It's me, Roxas. Come let me in already!"_ Riku gasped. "Roxas? Wait…how do I know it's you?" Riku's eyes narrowed; he wasn't taking _any_ chances with Sora under his care and those cloaked psychos on the loose.

"_I'll do our knock. You know the one,"_ And suddenly, there was a series of rhythmic knocks on the door, making Riku smirk. "Alright, I'm coming." He flipped the phone shut, then stood. Sora no longer had his shirt, and was poking at the sleek black phone on the floor. "Oooh…" Riku heard the amazed sound, smiling before he tip-toed up the stairs. He was still wary, but when he peeked over the corner and saw Roxas standing impatiently through the stained glass, he laughed.

"What took so long?" Roxas huffed, stepping past Riku once the silverette had opened the door. "Had to make sure."

"Roxas!" Riku was barely prepared when the blob of brunette sunshine zoomed past him, and Roxas was no better off in the line of fire when Sora pounced onto him in a hug. "Hey there, Sora." Roxas sniggered. "I hear you learned French."

"Français, oui!" Sora chimed, and Riku only glowered as Roxas cackled. By the time the blonde had stopped, Sora was standing behind Riku and looking quite confused, while Riku only glared.

"Roxas est étrange." Sora whispered to Riku, frowning. Riku didn't know much about French, but he knew enough to have a cackle-fest of his own.

"_Me_, strange?!" Roxas huffed. "Riku, you bastard." And then Roxas shook his head, as if remembering why he'd actually came.

"That's not what I wanted to talk about—"

"Baa…stard?" Sora blinked, then tugged on Riku's shirt. Riku's cackling had immediately ceased as Sora blinked again, "What…is bastard?"

And then it was Roxas' turn again to cackle.

"Ah! Well—you...you—no, it's…don't say that word!" When all else failed and Sora's lips positioned to speak again, Riku covered Sora's mouth with a hand. "Roxas, _please_ don't teach him dirty words! The kid can barely speak any English now, don't have him saying things that'll get us in trouble!" Riku glared. "I won't teach your…'kid' curse words, uncle Riku." Roxas teased, while Sora only cocked his head. Riku's hand still covered his mouth.

"I came to talk to you about something important, though. It can't wait." Well, Riku could really tell it was a tremendously grave situation, what with the way Roxas was screwing around... He nodded anyway, letting Roxas past him so he could go to the kitchen.

And then he felt something moist and warm on his hand, and slightly rough in texture. It felt good, and he almost let his eyelids slide shut.

Until he realized what it was. He yanked his hand back, ignoring the way the air chilled the saliva on his hand, and not-so-effectively ignoring the way the brunette's eyes twinkled gleefully as his cat-like tongue still hung from his mouth.

"Sora, don't _lick_ me!" _I might not be able to control myself next time! _had tagged itself on the end mentally, until he realized that there wouldn't _be_ a next time, and he realized that he actually _meant_ that statement. Sora only giggled, unaware of Riku's inner turmoil, and pointed to his own tongue. "Lick!" He exclaimed, looking proud of himself. Riku only slumped against the wall.

"Hey, guys. Stop having _sex_ in the hallway, and come on!" Riku jerked away from the wall in time to see Sora's eyebrow raise. "Se—"

"NO!" Riku made to slap his hand over Sora's mouth again—over those perfect, glistening lips again—but thought better of it and settled for pulling the giggling brunette to the kitchen and a semi-annoyed Roxas.

The teddy bear sat safely on the couch.

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**Finally, another chapter. I hope no one thinks I died...v.v; Again, thank you readers! ;D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Please read!** This is the one time reading author's notes would be great. The reason this chapter took so long is because I'm having doubts about continuing this story. I don't think it's good enough, and I'm worried I may be dragging it out. If I do continue this story, there will be a skip to the next day for sure (it's a shame to have a day drag out four or five chapters. XD). But I'm doubtful if I should continue, any thoughts from my viewer audience? Should I continue, revamp, or just give up and start something else? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, so please drop me a line via review or pm. Thanks, and I look forward to hearing what you all think. This chapter dissapoints me, but I hope you all don't feel the same!

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Sora, while he could be considered (and was often called) more than a bit naive, knew very well what he was doing to Riku.

Well, kind of. He didn't know what this 'lick' concept was all about, but it was quite interesting. The act of attacking someone with your tongue, while unsanitary, was actually pretty fun. Riku got so flustered and, though Sora knew it was mean, it was kind of cute to see him like that.

Unfortunately, Riku didn't approve. The silverette had sat safely away from the line of fire, and his chair was all the way in the corner of where the kitchen table and wall met in the kitchen.

An impenetrable fortress.

Until Sora realized you could crawl under the table. Then, well…it would be cakewalk from then on out. Kind of. He just had to wait for the opportune moment…

Roxas was speaking that English. He didn't know a whole bunch, but he knew quite a lot already thanks to Riku's teaching…_and_ he knew something called French (which Riku didn't seem too thrilled about…). Unfortunately, he didn't catch much of what Roxas was saying, as he was speaking way too fast. He did catch the serious air of the conversation, but that wasn't quite enough to sate Sora's interest. There weren't any super strong emotions yet, apart from the occasional shock and a small hint of…anger, was it? He wanted to know what was going on, too!

The winged boy pouted, tapping his fingers on the cold, hard floor. It reminded him of the time when he stayed with Roxas (Which may as well had been his whole life), and Roxas' parents would talk amongst themselves in hushed voices, speaking words that Sora's young brain had yet to learn. Roxas and Sora hadn't had the chance to talk properly yet, had they…

Riku's head hit the table suddenly, startling Sora. But then Sora realized that it was his chance to 'strike', and he quickly squeezed himself between the chairs and over to Riku's side of the table. He laid his arms on Riku's legs, and he heard the silverette yelp in surprise before he looked down. Sora grinned up at him.

"Ca va?"

Riku's head hit the table again, but not before Sora noticed a tint of red covering Riku's cheeks. Why would Riku be red? Was he sick? Sora, despite how cramped his wings felt under the table (They twitched restlessly as if to prove a point.), nudged Riku's chest with his head, frowning.

"Riku, what the hell have you been teaching Sora? He better not be doing what I think he is--!" Sora raised an eyebrow, looking over and seeing Roxas' bewildered expression as the other boy peeked beneath the table.

"Bonjour, Roxas!" Then Sora paused. No…what was it Riku had said for the English? Oh, now Sora remembered. "H-he…llo?" Sora struggled. Did he say that right? He felt a hand on his head, and looked up to Riku. Riku smiled down at him. "Good job, Sora." So he _did_ say it correctly. Sora grinned, leaning back into Riku's hand. This person…his touch had a strange effect on Sora. It calmed him and excited him all at once.

"You people have no shame! Sora, I'll forgive, but Riku…!" Roxas' voice startled Sora from his inner thoughts. Riku began trying to sputter a reply.

"Just…_ugh_, nevermind that." Roxas feigned his disgusted look, but smirked soon after. _"Sora,"_ He directed this to the brunette, who perked up in reply.

"_Yes, Roxas?"_

"You'll get to meet Axel today." At this, Sora grinned. He clapped his hands together excitedly. "Oh, really! He's so cool! His hair is very fun," Sora giggled. Then he paused. "Roxas, when will I be able to speak with you? I mean, just to catch up?" Apparently, he hadn't been the only one wondering about it. "I've been wanting to speak to you, too. We should go somewhere soon. When it's safer. Riku and Roxas can stay behind, while we hang out." Sora had no objections, and gave his own happy sound of approval.

-----------------------------------

Two days had passed since their plan. Axel and Roxas were most likely in position, and it was time for their departure. This was it…this was the moment. There'd be no turning back after this. "Demyx, pacing back and forth will get you nowhere."

The faux-hawked male paused in his steps. He hadn't even realized he was pacing.

"Zexion...I'm nervous. No...scared. Do you really think they'll help us?" Demyx was beginning to have second thoughts about everything. What if they still didn't trust them, and what if Roxas and Axel were secretly planning to kill Demyx and Zexion when they got there? What if their superior already knew their plans, and had an intercepting team out for them? What if—

"You're hyperventilating," a pair of lithe, surprisingly strong arms wrapped around Demyx's waist, and he felt the icy haired man against his back. "Relax."

And Demyx did. Only for a moment, though, before Zexion looked over at the clock on the wall and sighed. "It's time."

Demyx nodded. The yellow eyed man summoned a portal, taking Demyx's hand before they both stepped through.

-------------------------------

"Where are they...?" Axel sighed, kicking up dirt from in front of the park bench.

"They'll be here soon." Roxas reassured, placing his hand over his lover's. "Just be patient and—"

"_No, Sora! Don't eat that!_"

The shout had come from the playground next to the bench, and thank goodness they were deeper in the large woodland park, or the children would have thought Sora odd for trying to eat the mulch under the swings.

Roxas sighed, but couldn't keep a smile off of his face.

"So he's related to you?" Axel asked, lacing his fingers with the blonde's.

Roxas had to think about that question. "Not...not exactly. We like to think that we're...I dunno, brothers I guess. Sometimes, though...sometimes it really feels like we're related. He really didn't have a family, so my family took him in. And that's how it happened."

"So the kid doesn't have a family?"

Roxas laughed, seeing as how Axel was the kid compared to Sora. "No one...no one knows what happened to his real mother and father. Some say that they ran off. Truth is, he never did have one. He was made...y'know, like most of the higher ranked angels."

"So he's an angel?"

"Not exactly. It's complicated." And indeed it _was_ complicated_._ Roxas' eyes darkened with his thoughts; it wasn't the most pleasant situation to think of. Axel must have sensed this, because he slung his arm around Roxas' shoulders.

"Don't sweat it. I've had a rough past, too."

Roxas laughed at that, but it wasn't as happy as he'd have liked it to be. "I know. We both have, haven't we?"

"Why so glum, chums?" Riku interrupted. He didn't sound terribly enthusiastic either, holding an excited Sora's hand.

"_Roxas! Did you know? They...they put _wood_ under stuff to keep kids from getting hurt! Riku told me...but don't you think that's...I don't know, not smart? Humans are much less advanced than I thought..."_

"Hey!" Axel pouted at this. Roxas had nearly forgotten; he'd taught Axel just a teeny bit of Angel speak. Apparently, it was enough. Roxas laughed again, this time more real.

"_He knows what you're saying. Some, at least."  
_

"_Oh! So he knows about...?"_

"_No. Not much. I taught him some, though...the kid thinks he knows everything I say now."_

Now that, Roxas was sure Axel hadn't caught. But the redhead had insisted on acting as though he knew. He crossed his arms with a huff. Riku and Roxas exploded into laughter at Axel's childishness, and Sora only gave them curious blinks. He must have sensed the redhead's inner turmoil, and padded over to begin petting Axel on the head.

"At least _someone's_ on my side."

"He's not the only one now."

All four of them gasped, whipping around to look to the strangers. Sora had escaped back to Riku's side.

"Roxas, they're--!"

"_No, they're alright."_

This, Sora was confused at. These strangers, they had the same aura as those evil people that had kidnapped him! What could Roxas possibly mean?

The men were dressed in cloaks, and this seemed to shock Riku. "Those are--!"

"No, no! Let me explain!" Roxas waved his hands in front of himself wildly, as the two cloaked figures stood awkwardly. Riku blinked, but dropped his newly formed fists to his sides.

"They're gonna help us...they're old friends of ours that want the same thing we do—the downfall of the organization. The ones that took Sora." Sora caught his own name in there, and his interest was roused.

"_What about me?" _He asked, frowning.

"_These guys are kind of like spies for us, and are trying to throw down the people that took you."_

"_So they're doing what you did?" _Sora asked, surprised. He wouldn't have guessed it at all. He knew only small details of what Roxas actually did as part of the organization, but he could surmise that it wasn't always kind.

"_Kind of like that."_ Roxas nodded.

"Oh, so this is the key?" One of the figures spoke, startling Sora. He didn't sense any maliciousness in them, but one could never be too sure.

"This is Sora, the one you call the key. And this is Riku." Roxas gestured to each respectively.

"Riku? Oh, the guy that ran from Xaldin? You pissed him off that day. Good job."

Sora, over the past couple of days, had picked up more English with much more ease now that he'd finally distinguished English from French. So while he hadn't caught everything, he had caught the praise at the end.

"Thanks..." Riku muttered, and Sora could feel the discomfort.

"This is Demyx, and this is Zexion." Roxas motioned to both cloaked figures respectively.

"Hi there...I hope you can forgive us for any hardships the organization might have put you through." Demyx pulled his hood back and bowed. Sora had to say, he didn't look the least bit...evil, at all.

Demyx must have caught him looking, because he smiled at Sora. "I know what you're thinking. I told them I was the wrong guy for the job, but..." He trailed off, obviously picking up the fact that Sora didn't have the slightest clue as to what he was saying. That is, Sora knew, but he didn't _understand_ the words very well.

"_Oh, forgive me. I didn't know you hadn't learned English yet." _Sora gasped at Demyx's words.

"You can speak--?"

"_Yes, and quite well. It's…kind of forbidden at the organization, but that never stopped me." _Demyx explained. Sora frowned. He couldn't imagine being somewhere where the language—his native language, was banned.

"Roxas, Demyx. We shouldn't stay out in the open too long. We should save socializing for last. Right now we need to think."

"Zexion…" Demyx began, and Sora assumed the other person was the Zexion. The hood was removed, and Sora took note of the man's icy colored hair and piercing yellow eyes. It'd be easier to remember who was who that way.

"You're right." Roxas stated, then sighed. He turned to Axel and Riku. "Demyx and Zexion are gonna help us bring down some bad guys. It's…complicated. I'll explain later." He added at Riku's lost look. "But right now, I need to explain the plan. Demyx and Zexion are supposed to be on a mission to spy on us right now. You know, telling the organization what we're up to and stuff."

"But you see how much of that we're getting done," Demyx giggled.

"They're gonna give the organization false reports on what we're up to. That way, we have a chance to plan just how we're gonna go about this. This is a plan in progress, so it's kind of a process of trial and error…without the benefit of the trial part, and error being replaced with success." Roxas finished, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"That means we only get one chance. Demyx and Zexion came up with a good plan, but it'll be hard to pull off. So _all_ of us are gonna have to work really hard and be really ninja stealthy to pull this off." Axel clarified. "I don't have any doubts about kid here," Axel pointed a thumb to Sora, who blinked curiously. "But I dunno about the rest of you. Especially you." Axel sent a 'glare' in Riku's direction.

"I can take care of myself." Yep, Sora was sensing some annoyance in Riku's statement.

There was a pause in their arguing when Sora held a hand out. Riku raised an eyebrow, and Roxas gave him a look that said, 'go with it.'

After a few minutes, Sora nodded. _"They're gone."_

Roxas smirked. "Step one, complete." Sora, Roxas, Axel, and Demyx shared a group high-five. Zexion stood casually with his arms crossed, looking casually pleased, while Riku was left standing confusedly.

"What the hell?"

"Yeah, about that. That…was kind of the first step of our 'no trial and success' plan. We had to make them think we'd start going after them immediately. This is so that, while they're busy guarding all the wrong things and areas and people, we can slip through the metaphorical back entrance." Demyx clarified.

Poor Riku still looked confused. Sora kind of felt sorry for him; Sora himself had been let in on the plan about a day ago. He was the one responsible for keeping track of where the spies were and when they left. Roxas had told him that it'd be best to keep Riku in the dark for now—something about the silverette not being able to act…

"On top of sending us in," Zexion began, drawing Riku's attention to him. "they also sent in a second group of people to check in on us. The original plan was to just spy, but the leader, Xemnas, thought he saw a chance to kill two birds with one stone. We're to be convincing Roxas and Axel that we want to help them overthrow the organization—which we do, but he doesn't know that.

"He gave us a plan already to give you all, which is precise and extremely detailed. Since he knows the plan by heart, it'd easily allow him to capture them, and the key as well." Zexion cast a glance to Sora. "That would, of course, be disastrous. The only areas to be heavily guarded are those that will be used in the plan. Which leaves the unused areas easily accessible." The blue haired man finished.

Roxas and Axel wore similar expressions; mouths gaping and eyes wide.

"I've never…_ever_ heard you say that much in one sitting!" Axel was the first to speak. Zexion only shrugged, and Demyx nudged him with a playful elbow.

The previously stunned Roxas shook himself out of his surprise. "But he's right. And we just fooled the group of spies into thinking that we fell for their plan." Roxas' face didn't show his happiness at their success.

"Isn't that good?"

"Yes, it's very good! Just…we have much more we'll need to get through until our mission is complete."

"_Like_?" Riku prodded.

"You'll see. In any case, we shouldn't continue talking here." Surprisingly, Zexion was the one to speak. "Is there anywhere safer?"

"My place," Roxas replied, and Zexion raised an eyebrow. "They don't expect me to go somewhere so open to speak about such things." To this, Zexion nodded and they were off.


	7. Chapter 7

**I honestly didn't even wanna put this chapter out, but when I recieved a review in French, I knew it was high time to submit it. I personally do not like it at all. ;/ I hope you guys enjoy it though...let me know if I should keep on with this story even though it's starting to not make sense (but it will soon!). Again, really sorry for the delays...

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It'd been a day since they'd met up with those two organization spies. Today was Sunday. And tomorrow would be Monday. Why did weekends never last long when you needed them to?

"Riku…? Are you okay?"

Sora's worried voice penetrated Riku's thoughts. He was still getting used to Sora speaking, and in English no less. The boy was a fast learner. "I'm fine," Riku replied, smiling. "I was just thinking about going somewhere." To this, Sora tilted his head inquiringly. "You wanna come with me?" Riku asked, smiling when he saw the brunet's eyes light up.

"Yes!" Sora nodded, jumping up from his previous laying position on the floor. He hopped up so fast that he nearly fell back over, wings and arms flailing to keep him upright. When he'd situated himself again he smiled widely and ran up the stairs, presumably to go get dressed. Riku couldn't help but chuckle as he followed.

Needless to say, he had many more laughs when it came time to help untangle wings from shirt sleeves and hair from button loops.

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It hadn't even been a minute since they entered the small pastry and chocolate shop, and already the female (and some of the male) workers had been 'aww'ing over Sora. Riku only smiled at the boy's curious head tilting, and at the way he looked at Riku as if to ask him if it were okay to be attracting that kind of attention.

"Aww! Who's this cutie here?"

"Kairi, this is Sora. He's…not from around here. He's a foreign exchange student; my parents know his from way back." Riku lied confidently; that story had taken he and Roxas ages to cook up. Lies that took that long just didn't _not_ work.

"Oh? Well, hi Sora. I'm Kairi. Me and Riku go way back!" The redhead smiled, waving.

Sora blinked, as if still absorbing the information, and smiled back. "Good afternoon, Kairi." He said, still having trouble with pronunciation. Riku couldn't help but be amazed anyway. Sora was such a fast learner...

"Aw! He's so cute, Riku. And I see he's learning English? He should be in Mr. Strife's English language class this year! Then he'd definitely be speaking fluent English in no time!" The redhead giggled, but quickly interrupted herself. "Oh! How's about a treat for you and your friend? We got this shipment of new chocolate truffles! They've got this delicious milk chocolate shell, and a rich, creamy, not-quite-dark chocolate core!"

"Chocolate…?" Sora tilted his head curiously. "What…is chocolate?"

There was a stunned moment of silence between the group before Kairi erupted with, "You poor sheltered child!" Said redhead shook her head as if in disapproval, then grinned. "Chocolate is only the best, yummiest, most delicious substance ever on the face of the earth!"

Riku could practically see the question mark on Sora's face. "Why don't we just let him try it?" The silveret suggested.

"Good idea!" Kairi grinned devilishly, and then ran over to dig around behind the counter. From underneath it, she pulled out a deep red box with a velvety red ribbon on it. The word _Aphrodisiac_ was written in beautiful gold cursive on the front. "This stuff is the best. Oh, Tidus and I go absolutely nuts when we eat this. I mean he's already insatiable, but with this he's just so—"

"Should we really be eating _this_?!" Riku interrupted, covering Sora's ears. Sora looked confused for a moment, then giggled.

"You two aren't…?" She filled in the blank by forming a hole with her fingers on one hand, and sticking a finger from the other hand into the hole.

"_Kairi_, he can see! And no, we haven't done anything like that! What makes you think—"

"The way you smile at him…it's so obvious. I've never seen you look at someone like that. But apparently, you're in denial so I won't say anything else for now. Consider this a good luck present!"

The chocolate was promptly shoved into Riku's chest, forcing his hands to leave Sora's ears in favor of catching the sweets.

"Now go get 'em!" The redhead grinned, giving him a thumbs up.

Riku looked every bit as mortified as he actually was. "Sora, let's go." He kept his eyes forward, trying to fight a blush.

Sora cocked his head curiously, then turned to Kairi. "Bye, Kairi!" He waved excitedly, then skipped off behind Riku.

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The box of chocolate was on the table, innocent as ever, staring back up at Riku who sat on the other side of the table. A perfectly normal box of chocolate.

To Riku, it was the devil incarnate.

Sora peeked into the kitchen curiously, his eyes stopping on the box. Riku watched as he came in, sitting at the table across from Riku. His head lowered until his chin rested on the wood of the tabletop, and he made an 'ooh!' noise. "Chocolate?"

"Yeah..." Riku replied warily, not missing Sora's longing glance at the box. The boy wanted some chocolate, and as much as Riku wanted to give it to him and sate his own curiosity about just _how_ powerful an aphrodesiac it really was...he wasn't sure he could trust himself to stay in control. Heavenly being or not, Sora was a very attractive male...and it would be easy for Riku to lose himself in his desire.

It wasn't quite something he wanted to risk.

"Sora..." Riku rested his head in his hands, focusing his gaze on the table in an attempt to gather his wits. It was sad how a boy could fluster and test him in such a way. He had to get it together for Sora's sake though; what kind of role model would he be if he gave into temptation? He let out a steadying breath, and looked up.

But by then, Sora had already torn into the box and eaten a piece of the intricately decorated chocolate. Riku could only watch in curious horror, mouth agape and mind unable to make words to express his shock. Sora chewed thoughtfully, swallowing after a moment. The brunet's eyes narrowed in thought, and Riku worried for a moment if the effect of the chocolate was getting to him that fast already until Sora squealed happily and shoved another chocolate into his mouth. "Yum!"

So far, nothing was happening to Sora. Riku wasn't sure if he was dissapointed or relieved. A sudden knot of nervousness (Fear? Paranoia?) wound itself into the silveret's gut, and he wasn't sure if it was the best idea for Sora to be eating those chocolates after all...

Sora grinned and held a truffle up to Riku's lips, and that was enough to dispel moast of the doubt. Some still lingered, but it was nothing he couldn't block out. Instead, Riku focused on the boy before him, currently trying to feed him chocolate. Sora had the truffle pressed against his lips, and had his mouth slightly open as if trying to show Riku what he should be doing. Just to play with the brunet, Riku would open his mouth, and quickly shut it before Sora could get the chocolate in. Eventually though, the boy's pout was too much and he let himself be fed chocolate.

Soon, the heart-shaped box was devoid of all chocolate, only the crinkled cups that held them remained. "So I take it the chocolate was good?" Riku asked, chuckling when Sora patted his stomach.

The boy's yawn surprised him though. "Sleepy..." Sora murmured, yawning again. He crossed his arms on the table, laying his head on them.

"Sora, don't--" fall asleep down here, Riku might have said, but when sleepy, doe-like azure met his eyes, his thoughts vanished. Sora had such hypnotic, gorgeous eyes...and it was only when they slid shut that Riku realized he was supposed to be waking Sora back up.

The silveret didn't quite have the heart to wake Sora up now, what with the way he cuddled close to Riku when he was picked up by the seemingly older male. Sora wore a serene look as he slept, hands idly fisting in the fabric of Riku's shirt. The aqua-eyed male was almost reluctant to put Sora down when he got to the bed, letting his touch linger when he brushed fine strands of brown away from a soft cheek.

---------------

Kairi hummed quietly to herself as she wiped down one of the small circular tables in their café. This was their slow period, and barely anyone was here. There were a few people in the back up to nothing in particular, sure, but she was the only person actually working. She had to put herself to work somehow, lest she die of boredom. So she went to work cleaning the tables off. She hadn't expected anyone in for at least another hour…so she was surprised when a tall, cloaked man strode in and stopped right before her. His features were shadowed, and all she could see were wisps of silvery hair.

"Can I help you?" Kairi offered kindly, mainly out of habit.

"Yes, I believe you can…" The man spoke, his voice deep and velvety. "I'm looking for someone. He came here earlier."

Kairi raised an eyebrow. What was she, a help desk? Nonetheless, her perfected waitress smile stayed in place. "Well, what did he look like, Sir?" She asked, and was shocked when the man raised his head to meet her eyes. His eyes were like nothing she'd ever seen, like glowing yellow pools. They were hypnotizing almost, but for some reason they struck a fear in her that she had never felt before.

"Well, there were two. One had silver hair, and the other had spiky brown hair. He acted oddly as well…I trust you know them?"

Kairi didn't know what'd come over her, but as she made to shake her head and deny her knowledge, she felt herself speaking. "Oh, I know who you're talking about."

Kairi was shocked, with both herself and this man that had caused such fear to stir in her.

"Well then, I don't suppose you know where they are at this moment?"

"Oh, you bet I do!" Again, she was helpless to stop the words from escaping her lips; what was this man doing to her?

"Do you mind telling me?" The man smirked, as if he knew of Kairi's inner turmoil and the fact that she would be powerless to refuse his question.

"I'll write it for you." Not only words, but actions seemed to be beyond her control as she felt herself move to grab her waitress pad, and jot down Riku's address. Whatever this man was, he was pure evil...and wasn't just going to Riku's house to deliver a picnic basket.

"Thank you, _dear_." The man took the address and left, and it wasn't until he'd stepped out of the door that her self control came crashing down on her and she collapsed to her knees.

Kairi ripped her cellphone from the pocket on her apron, hurriedly dialing a number. She waited breathlessly for the ringing to stop, and hadn't even waited for the other person to fully answer the phone.

"I'm sorry, Riku…"

_"Kairi?"_ Riku asked, and Kairi could hear the confusion in his voice. _"What—"_

"Where's Sora?" She asked quickly.

_"He's upstairs, asleep. What's going on?"_

"This guy… he came in asking about you two."

Riku was quiet for a beat. _"What did he look like?"_

"Silver hair…yellow eyes…he had on a cloak, so—"

_"A cloak?"_ Riku cut in, sounding urgent. _"Black?"_

Kairi blinked. "Yeah…but how did you—"

_"No time to explain, I have to go. Kairi, get somewhere safe besides your own place. Go to your mom's, close up shop. That guy is dangerous, and I don't want him to hurt you."_

"Riku…?" Kairi was confused, just who was that cloaked man?

_"Please, Kai. You're my best friend…if something happened to you…"_

"Say no more." Kairi just couldn't resist the pleading tone of Riku's voice. "You're such a sap. Be careful." She smiled, then hung up.

----------

Sora stirred in his sleep, whimpering quietly as he watched his dream-self run.

"_Roxas!"_

There was no answer, only chaos around him. Buildings burning in crimson and orange blazes, people running and shrieking and crying, pleading for help.

_"Roxas! Where are you?!"_

Still no answer. People shoved past him, almost knocked him over a few times, as he ran against the crowd. Another explosion to his left, rubble from the building just barely missing him when it fell. The ground quaked. He saw it then, a flash of white wings and blonde hair.

_"Roxas! What's going on?!"_

Was this truly Roxas? Standing at the top of the large mass of fallen stone, clad in a black cloak, was Roxas. The chain on his keyblade swung like a pendulum, back and forth, why was that so hypnotic, so mesmerizing? His mind couldn't form the shape of the charm on the end of the chain, like viewing it with a mosiac censor. That shape was so important...

_"Sora. They will continue to attack you, and those you love, as long as you weild the keyblade."_

Sora sighed in relief, happy to have Roxas was here, speaking to him. _"Roxas, what's happening? Where have you been the past year?!" _

Roxas turned to look at him, empty cerulean eyes seemed to see just past Sora. Roxas opened his mouth, speaking. But few words escaped.

_"..key...memories...wings...death..."_

_"What?" _Sora leaned forward. _"Come down here, I can't hear you!" _Why was he pleading? Why didn't he just go up to Roxas?

_"...true name...is..."_

_"Roxas..." _Sora began, hand outstretched to the blonde. But Roxas only smiled, sadly.

_"Goodbye, Sora."_

There was a flash.

--------

"Roxas!" Sora shot up, hands out as if he could grab dream-Roxas. He was panting and sweating, even shaking. He let out a shuddering breath, wrapping his arms around himself. Why was he so cold?

"Sora!" Riku rushed into the room suddenly, startling Sora.

"Riku...?" He tilted his head. "What--?"

"No time. They're here. They found us. And Kairi. But she should be safe, I told her..."

Everything Riku said past that was unheard by Sora. His whole body froze, a bitter chill that had nothing to do with temperature running down his spine. He unwrapped his hands from his body, bringing them up so he could watch them tremble. What was wrong with him? His wings twitched.

_'They will continue to attack you, and those you love..."_

_No...no, they won't. I'll finish this once and for all._

"Sora...?" Riku's worried voice snapped Sora from his thoughts. Sora shook his head, smiling slightly. He couldn't worry Riku, not now...

_"...those you love..."_

Sora watched Riku, took in the male's handsome, albiet worried, face. His silver hair, the aqua eyes, his form and figure...and he soon made up his mind. Sora stood shakily from the bed, nearly falling over at a point. When Riku advanced worriedly, Sora shook his head. He sighed, then looked up at the silveret. "I don't want them...hurting anyone." He wouldn't let them hurt anyone. Not the people he loved. No one needed to be hurt because of him.

"Sora...come on, we'll go to Roxas and--"

"No..." Sora cut in standing more steadily now. "This...this is my fight." He said simply, then took off past Riku and down the steps.

"Sora!" Riku's cry rang in Sora's ears, but he ignored it as he ran out of the house and down the street.

------------

They would find him soon, Sora was sure of it. He knew he wouldn't have to run far.

"That's it? I can't believe they'd send me to destroy something so simple. So weak."

Sora stopped at the feminine voice, narrowing his eyes. _"You found me pretty fast. What do you want?"_

"It's not what I want, it's what the leader wants...and he wants you. I'm only a pawn. But not for long."

He ignored those slightly cryptic words. _"Why would they send a female?"_

"Why not?" From the shadows, a blonde woman emerged. She was balancing a small, seemingly delicate daggar on her finger. She had several others in the crooks of her fingers. "It's not like you'll fight back...weak, just like Roxas. The only thing he was good for was the fact that he had a keyblade. And even then..."

_"Don't talk about my brother like that!" _Sora snapped. There was a flash of light, and in his right hand was a key-shaped blade. He gripped the blue handle of the Kingdom Key in both hands. It felt new, yet so familiar. A comfort, almost. It frightened him, but he didn't let it show. His mind was still so jumbled...what was wrong with him? His wings twitched again.

"Your brother? Ignoring the fact that you're incapable of having brothers, or siblings at all, have you forgotten what he did to you? I'd thought that the hatred had awakened in you, but it seems I was wrong..."

Sora would have questioned her, but he collapsed to his knees. His vision was hazy.

"Oh, did you like the chocolates we sent your way? Tasty, but they do tend to...confuse the consumer." The woman giggled.

So that was what was making him feel like this. It occured to him that he'd given Riku some of that chocolate as well...he prayed the silveret was better off than he was. _"I thought..I was weak? If this is true, then...then what need would you...have for poisoning me?" _Sora fought to speak, determined not to lose his awareness. He'd come to settle this, not be drugged into submission while this woman spoke to him like he was a child!

"Aww...poor thing. I can always just put you out of your misery. Just say the word." She flipped her knife, then threw it. Sora flinched, and heard it embed itself in the ground not an inch from him. "Or you can always do it yourself."

"Larxene, stop toying with the key. Transport him to the castle. I'll deal with the human." Said a voice, different from the female's.

_"Don't...hurt him!" _Sora growled, trying to stand. He could barely find the strength to blink, so he was helpless when Larxene lifted him with ease.

"Shut up, no one's gonna hurt the human. Unless he becomes an issue. Then we'll deal with him accordingly." These words didn't put Sora at ease at all. His worry only got worse, and he thought only of Riku until his eyelids slid shut.


	8. Chapter 8

How behind on schedule am I with this new chapter? I'll hopefully be introducing improvement as well as new characters soon! I'm ready to get on with this story again instead of running from how bad it is xD This time I mean it! I have a new direction I want this story to go in. You guys get to tell me how much I improved (even tho this chap is kinda awkward and short), if you've still stuck around ;-; Thanks for everyone that even gave this story a chance! *heart*

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When Sora opened his eyes, he saw darkness. He felt metal against his bare back, the cold biting into his flesh. Once he could feel his limbs again, he sat up. He found his movement restricted by something around his neck. He couldn't raise his hands to feel it, because they'd been bound as well it seemed. He felt like some kind of animal in a cage.

"You're finally up."

Just then, bright white light flooded the room, almost blinding him for a moment. He squinted against it, barely making out a figure in the corner. The figure was tall and cloaked. No doubt it was one of those bad men he'd been hearing about.

So he didn't speak, only glaring with the most fiery dislike he could muster.

"You're so talkative," The man drawled,

Sora kept his mouth defiantly shut.

"That's quite alright, make yourself comfortable...you'll be here for quite a while." The man said, turning on heel and leaving through a portal of darkness.

Once he'd left, Sora slumped against the bars, sighing. Riku and Roxas and even Kairi...he hoped they were alright. He didn't count on being rescued, and didn't want it; he would never want Riku and Roxas to risk their lives so foolishly. He'd gotten lucky the first time, on that rainy night, meeting someone as kind as Riku...but he knew he wouldn't get that luck ever again. He'd never wanted those good times to come to an end...but they did, like all good things, and he was fortunate enough at least to have the memories.

Riku was running, bare feet slapping concrete, rocks jabbing into his soles. He was numb to the stinging and burning of his feet, couldn't feel how sore and hoarse his throat was from screaming Sora's name over and over again. This was his third run around their general area, and he still had no luck. But he had to be here! Riku didn't want to think about Sora being anywhere other than this area. He didn't want Sora to be somewhere where he couldn't reach him...

He tripped, over his own swollen feet or a piece of raised sidewalk, he had no clue. He tumbled forward, skinning his knees through his pants and his bare elbows against the concrete. Only now did the burning of his chest reach him, so he leaned against the brick of a house, panting wildly. He spared a passing glance at his legs; his pants were torn and bloody at the knees. Hands shaking, Riku went into his pockets for his phone.

"Riku!" He heard the voice, and a short moment later saw Roxas rounding the corner and running toward him. "What happened? I felt something bad, and called the house but no one answered!"

Riku flipped his phone open; 6:45 and seven missed calls.

"I called your cellphone too, what happened to you?"

"They came for us..." Riku said, head down. "They used my friend to find us...and Sora ran off to find them. Said it was his fight...I was supposed to keep him safe." Riku brought his shaking hands to his face. "I can't find them."

Roxas was silent. For a long time neither of them said anything, even when tiny droplets of water progressed into a shower of rain.

Riku heard footsteps splashing. "What the hell are you guys doing in the rain?" Axel thrust an umbrella into Roxas' hands, throwing his jacket over Riku's head. "You two look like beat up wet dogs!"

"He's gone." Roxas spoke barely above a whisper.

Axel went quiet then, looking to Riku. At Riku's nod of affirmation, his face turned serious. "Well? Where is he?"

"Those hooded guys probably took him." Riku began attempting to stand, using the side of the house as support. "And there's no way to find him from here, right?"

Both Axel and Roxas were quiet.

"Then I'm gonna go get him." Riku said firmly, fists clenched. "Isn't this my fault?"

"You're not going anywhere." Roxas finally spoke, turning to Riku. "To get to him, you have to go through darkness. Darkness changes people, Riku, especially humans. You really think you'll still be the Riku you left as, once you go to him?"

"I have to try!" Riku pounded his fist against the wall. "I need to go get him, make sure he's safe...I'll do anything."

"I'm not going to let you do something stupid like this." Roxas began walking off.

"Fine, go! I don't need you to help me save him!" Riku shouted after him, water filling his vision. Whether it was rain, tears, or both, he had no clue.

Axel looked torn between the two of them, then sighed. "Here, just in case you do something 'stupid'." He tossed a necklace to Riku, a simple chain. "It'll help with the darkness." And he took off behind Roxas.

Roxas examined the chain for a moment, then slipped it on.

"If you don't hurry to him, he will perish. The organization has no qualms about taking every last bit of his energy. When he's no longer of any use, they will kill him."

Riku whipped his head around, seeing a figure in red. He brought his fists up in a fighting stance, glaring. "Who are you? Come to get your ass kicked?"

The man laughed. "Hardly." His face was wrapped in red bandages, but Riku could hear a smile in his voice. "I came to help you. Follow me, if you wish." He waved his hand, a portal of darkness appearing, and stepped through.

_Darkness changes people, Riku._

With a last glance at the empty street, Riku ran through the portal.


End file.
